AMU now running without vice-chancellor!

In an unprecedented situation, world famous Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) is functioning without a vice-chancellor over a week now, leading an administrative paralysis to the extent that a petrol pump on the university campus has gone dry for want of VC’s signatures to purchase fuel.

After the Union human resource development ministry and the Allahabad high court appointed two different vice-chancellors within a week, the Supreme Court last Friday ruled that neither would function as vice-chancellor or pro-vice chancellor and ordered the executive council to hold reins collectively till the appointment of a regular VC.

Disposing of a special leave petition filed by the AMU registrar, Justices Deepak Verma and KS Radhakrishnan said the functioning of the university in the intervening period will be carried out by the executive council and would be implemented by the registrar.

The AMU registrar had appealed against the Allahabad high court installing the senior most dean, Prof. Qazi Afzal Husain, as acting vice-chancellor, setting aside the appointment of Dr Noor Mohammad, a retired 1977 batch IAS officer, a week earlier by the government.

The AMU’s executive council will meet on April 12 to decide five names for the appointment of its new vice-chancellor.