HC seeks centre's stand on plea challenging Jamia VC's appointment

The Delhi High Court on Monday sought response of the Centre and Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) on a plea challenging the appointment of the current Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the university.

Justice A K Chawla issued notice to the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), University Grants Commission (UGC), the varsity and its VC, Najma Akhtar, seeking their stand on the petition by a lawyer.

The plea by M Ehtesham-ul-Haque, a JMI alumnus, has alleged that Akhtar's appointment was invalid for the reasons that the search committee, to select prospective candidates for the post, was constituted illegally and that she had been denied CVC clearance initially.

The denial of clearance was revoked after the MHRD's intervention, the petition has alleged.

"It is submitted that the entire process culminating into the impugned appointment of Najma Akhtar is a colourable exercise of power and in flagrant violation and total non-compliance of the statutory provisions of the Jamia Millia Islamia Act, 1988," it has claimed.

The petition has sought that her appointment as VC be declared as "illegal, arbitrary, void ab initio and non est in law".