The Supreme Court Monday dismissed a plea challenging the appointment of Professor Naima Khatoon as the first woman vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).
A bench comprising Justice J K Maheshwari and Justice Vijay Bishnoi refused to interfere with the appointment, which was upheld by the Allahabad High Court earlier this year.
In their plea, Professors Muzaffar Uruj Rabbani and Faizan Mustafa questioned her appointment on the grounds that her husband, Professor Mohd Gulrez, who was the then officiating vice-chancellor of AMU, presided over the meeting of the Executive Council and University Court, which included Khatoon’s name in the panel to be sent to the Visitor.
The matter had earlier come up before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India B R Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and N V Anjaria. Justice Chandran recused from the hearing, pointing out that as the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court, he was involved in the appointment of one of the petitioners, Mustafa, as the Vice Chancellor of Chanakya National Law University, Patna.
