Eyebrows raised as panel headed by AMU vice chancellor shortlists his wife for VC’s post

PTI

Aligarh, November 3

A panel headed by Aligarh Muslim University’s acting vice chancellor Mohammad Gulrez has picked his wife Naima Khatoon among five candidates shortlisted for the VC’s post, raising questions of conflict of interest.

A university spokesperson, however, said there is nothing wrong in Prof Gulrez chairing the Executive Council meeting and voting during the shortlisting process as “in the eyes of law, husband and wife are legally independent”.

The five elected names will now be sent to the university’s governing body, Aligarh Muslim University Court, which will at its meeting on Monday finalise three probables for the prestigious post.

The three names will then be sent to President Droupadi Murmu for selecting the VC, university spokesman Omar Peerzada said.

AMU officials said the Executive Council meeting was held on Sunday in which five people were shortlisted from a list of 20 probables. Executive Council meetings are presided over by the VC, regular or acting.

The officials said some members of the Executive Council objected to acting VC Professor Gulrez, who was chairing the meeting, taking part in the process and voting in favour of his wife Prof Naima Khatoon, who is the principal of AMU’s Women’s College.

The members objected to him taking part in the process on technical grounds and alleging conflict of interest. The objections were, however, dismissed.

AMU authorities have so far not issued any clarification on this matter officially, but, Peerzada said, “The officiating vice chancellor was not a candidate for vice chancellorship and can chair the meeting and there is no question of conflict of interest, as in the eyes of law, husband and wife are legally independent. Both the Department of Higher Education and the AMU ordinance (Executive) do not bar the spouse of a VC from participating in the voting process.”

The five who were selected include: Prof Faizan Mustafa (Vice Chancellor, Chanakya Law University, Patna, and former Vice Chancellor, National Law University, Hyderabad), Prof M U Rabbani (former Dean, Faculty of Medicine, AMU); Prof Naima Khatoon (Principal, Women’s College, AMU); Prof Furqan Qamar (Former Vice-Chancellor, University of Rajasthan and first Vice Chancellor, Central University of Himachal Pradesh) and Prof Qayyum Husain (Vice Chancellor, Cluster University, Srinagar JK).

According to university officials, the AMU Court has 193 seats of which 78 are vacant as elections for these posts have not been held in several years.

If appointed, Prof Naima Khatoon will be the first woman to become vice-chancellor of AMU.

The first Chancellor of AMU was Begum Sultan Jahan of Bhopal, who was appointed in 1920, when the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College was upgraded into a full-fledged central university by an Act of the then Legislative Council.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.