By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi: In a big development for minority communities, the Union government has decided to exempt Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and some other universities from government control over fees, admission quotas and administration.
The government is believed to have begun working to exempt universities and educational institutions set up and administered by minorities from regulations concerning reservation in private higher education institutes. As a result, universities like AMU will be exempted from OBC quotas that the government is intending to introduce in higher education.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is believed to have approved the proposed amendments to the National Commission of Minority Educational Institutions Act.
It is likely that the government will introduce the amendment bill in Parliament before the end of the on-going budget session.
According to the current law, a university cannot be recognised as a minority educational institution even if it is set up or maintained by a person or group of people from minority communities.
The Central government had declared AMU and Delhi-based Jamia Hamdard (a deemed university) as minority educational institutions two years ago, but the move was challenged in the court. Allahabad High Court rejected the decision to grant the AMU, a central university, minority status in 2006. The Centre appealed against the order and the case is pending in the Supreme Court.
It is expected that nearly 50 minority deemed universities, which under the current law stand to lose their special status if upgraded to full-fledged varsities, will be exempted from government control. Most of these institutions are privately owned.
However, it is not clear whether other government-managed universities like Jamia Millia Islamia or Osmania University will also benefit from the change in the law.