By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: Press Council of India chief justice (Retd) Markandey Katju has come out in defense of Lieutenant General Zameer Uddin Shah, Vice Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University who has been facing criticism for his statement on the alleged ban on undergraduate girls to enter the AMU main library.
It has come to the light that Katju arranged a meeting between the Vice Chancellor and the executive editor of Times of India, which has virtually been leading a crusade against alleged misogynist action of the University. Earlier too, on the issue of the purported ban on Times of India few days ago in the University campus at Aligarh, the PCI chief had come to the VC’s defence. Shah had then told Katju that an attempt to malign him and the University were going on and that he (Shah) had also criticized the alleged intimidation and threat to the ToI Journalist.
On Tuesday night Justice Katju wrote on his Facebook that on request of Lt Gen Shah, he telephoned Arindam Sengupta, the executive editor of ToI and that the two met on Tuesday evening at the Times House on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg.
According to Justice Katju, Vikas Singh, the Senior Editor, and the lady journalist of Times of India posted in Aligarh too were present in the meeting that lasted for two hours and was “conducted in a very cordial atmosphere, and ended on a happy note.”
Lt Gen Shah then met the PCI chief at his residence and explained his position. According to Katju, the AMU VC explained the following to the ToI Editor:
1. He had not introduced any new rule for the Maulana Azad library in AMU. The rule was in existence since long before he became the Vice Chancellor that only postgraduate and engineering and medical college girl students were allowed in the Maulana Azad Library.
2. As regards the undergraduate girl students who lived in the Abdullah Hall of the Women’s College, which is 3 kms from Maulana Azad library, they had never been permitted to go to the Maulana Azad library. Instead they had their own library at the Abdullah Hall itself. If they wanted any book from Maulana Azad library they could get them online, but in the last 3 years or so only 23 such requests had been made.
3. The Vice Chancellor had gone to the Women’s College for a function to install the newly elected office bearers. There, some girl students said that the undergraduate girls should also be allowed to go to the Maulana Azad library. The Vice Chancellor said that the library was already overcrowded, and there was no more place to sit. He then said in lighter vein that if girls were allowed to go to the Maulana Azad library many boys would be attracted. This remark had been misconstrued as if he had some gender bias, which was not true.
4. The Vice Chancellor had written to 40,000 parents of undergraduate girl students and asked them whether they were in favour of allowing their daughters to go to the Maulana Azad library, and all except one said no. However, he was willing to construct an extra wing in the Maulana Azad library for undergraduate students, provided the government gave the grant for the same.
5. The Vice Chancellor said he had not passed any order banning the Times of India, but admitted that he made a mistake in saying orally before the students that the Times of India would not be allowed in AMU.
6. The Vice Chancellor said that he will treat the young lady journalist posted in Aligarh as his daughter, and she need not worry about anything.
Justice Markandey Katju (TCN file photo)
7. The Vice Chancellor said that the AMU would like to actively participate in the Ganga and Jamuna cleaning schemes of the Prime Minister, and in fact the University has collaboration with the European Union for such schemes. He has already written a letter to the Prime Minister in this connection offering all help by the AMU, and he intends to meet the Prime Minister soon. He said that the AMU has several scientific projects such as the one relating to nano-technology which would be of immense benefit to the nation, and he would be approaching the Central Government shortly for grants for the same.
Justice Katju further wrote on his Facebook page that he was “impressed” by Lt Gen Shah, who appeared to be “a very upright man with good intentions.” He, however, reiterated his advice that as VC Lt Gen Shah should be more discrete, and if any demand or appeal is made to him he should not straightaway say yes or no, but instead say “I will consider”. And only after cool deliberation, and after considering all aspects of the matter and their ramifications, and after consulting relevant people, he may say yes or no.
He also urged the students of the University to treat the matter as closed, adding, “The AMU has been a great Centre of learning renowned all over the world, and the passing cloud should be allowed to pass away. If that happens, which I am confident, it will, my reward will be the satisfaction that I have contributed to that end.”
Related:
AMU library row: Media sensationalism or deep seated bias?