‘Raised provocative slogans’: Pro-reservation AMU students’ protest

The Aarakshan Sangharsh Morcha — a newly founded student body opposing the Aligarh Muslim University's (AMU) minority institution status — has demanded reservation in student admissions and jobs for Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Other Backward Class (OBC) candidates.

Students from the group, protesting under tight security, handed a memorandum to the local administration addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They urged the government to implement quotas for Hindu Dalits, backward classes and tribal citizens at AMU until the Supreme Court delivers its judgement on the university’s minority status.

During the march, which included the raising of anti-AMU and religious slogans, the protesters gathered near the AMU Circle, prompting the authorities to erect barricades on roads leading to the campus. A university official confirmed that some of the slogans were "provocative".

Posters were seen in their hands bearing the legend 'batenge toh katenge... ek rahenge toh aarakshan le sakenge (divided we will be cut down... if we stay united, we can take advantage of reservations)'.

The AMU's minority status has long been a contentious issue.

Established in 1920, the university was granted minority status under Article 30 of the Indian Constitution, allowing it to administer itself and promote education among Muslims. Critics argue that this status excludes other marginalised communities from benefiting from reservations in this space, a claim the university denies.

Prof. Mohammad Asim Siddiqui, AMU’s spokesperson and member in charge of public relations, responded to the protest, stating that the matter is entirely under the purview of the Supreme Court.

"The issue of reservation to any community now rests totally with the Supreme Court of India, which is examining the entire matter in the light of the Constitution of the country and the legal status of the university," Siddiqui said.

He also refuted claims about religion-based reservation at AMU.

“A false impression is being created. There is no reservation for Muslims in any course at the varsity. The only reservation which exists is for internal students, which includes members of all communities. The question of providing religion- or caste-based reservation does not arise until the apex court decides on this matter,” Siddiqui clarified.

The protest has added to the contentious debate over AMU’s minority status and the broader issue of reservations in educational institutions.

In a landmark judgement in November 2024, the Supreme Court overturned its 1967 judgement in the S. Azeez Basha v. Union of India case, which had denied Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) the status of a minority institution.

The 1967 judgement by a five-judge Constitution Bench held that AMU, as a central university established by an Act of Parliament, could not claim minority status under Article 30 of the Constitution, which protects the rights of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions.

This ruling had effectively denied AMU the privileges associated with being a minority institution.

The latest verdict, delivered by a seven-judge Constitution Bench led by then-chief justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, overturned this precedent.

In a 4:3 decision — a close split — the majority of the justices ruled that AMU’s status as a minority institution merits fresh examination, signalling a potential shift in its constitutional standing as well.

The Supreme Court has now referred the case to a regular bench, leaving the question of AMU’s minority status unresolved for now.

Legal experts believe that this development could lead to a comprehensive reexamination of the broader implications of the ruling for other institutions making similar claims, even as the hearing on AMU continues.