Moosa Raza Committee and AMUSU

AMU Vice Chancellor, Prof. P. K. Abdul Azis said that he is committed to the restoration of Students’ Union. It is a matter of few months, the process will be set in motion soon after the submission of report by Moosa Raza Committee appointed by the University Court to review the Act and Statutes......Press Release by PRO, AMU on October 9, 2010

My simple question to the Vice-Chancellor, have you simply thought before putting this statement that the students of the institution that you are running are fools or muggins or saphead or buffoon or flibbertigibbet or meshuggeneh or even monosoph? I mean words are felling short to describe the way you want to mislead the student community with such misleading statement. I have now visited many Universities in India and can firmly say that students at Aligarh Muslim University are quite intelligent and can debate on serious topics if proper guidance is provided.

No I am not unhappy that AMU Court has appointed a Committee led by Janab Moosa Raza Sb to review the Act and Statutes. But what the hell it has to do it with only the single statute of 34 of the AMU Act, 1981 dealing with AMUSU and when the Vice-Chancellor himself said “Act and Statutes” and I think the plural form emphasize its for the entire AMU Act and Statutes. Let us analyse the AMU Act, 1981 and the Statutes in it.

 

There are 41 sections and 61 Statutes in the Aligarh Muslim University ( Amendment) Act, 1981 which was passed by Parliament of India.

Statute 34 says, â€œ*34. Students’ Union - There shall be a Students’ Union to be known as Aligarh Muslim University Students’ Union. The Vice-Chancellor of the University shall be the Patron of the Union.”

There is one Section in the AMU Act whose use has been often questioned. Section 19(3) of the same Act is known to us all for its notoriety in its use by many Vice-Chancellor including the present one. It reads as, â€œThe Vice-Chancellor may, if he is of opinion that immediate action is necessary on any matter, exercise any power conferred on any authority of the University by or under this Act and shall report to such authority the action taken by him on such matter;.... thereupon the Executive Council may confirm, modify or reverse the action taken by the Vice-Chancellor.”

Recently some teachers got elected in the Academic Council of the University under various categories. This name of those teachers was published by the Public Relation Officer also in a recent Press Release. This was done by the AMU authorities to follow the Statute 18(1)(x) of the same Act where it says, â€ 18. Academic Council- (1) The Academic Council shall consist the following members, namely: - **(x) Three Professors; five Readers; and seven Lecturers.”

However the same Statute 18 under the clause (xiv) & (xv) provides mandatory representation of the 5 students in the same Academic Council. But alas! There is no one.

So definitely there are some simple question comes up which only question the logic of the statement given by the Vice-Chancellor without any rationale,

1.     Why only Statute 34 to be suspended till the report of the Moosa Raza Committee arrives in the next 3 months and not the other 41 Sections and 60 Statute of the same Aligarh Muslim University( Amendment) Act, 1981? Why only Statute related to the democratic right of students has been particularly selected to be targeted by the future report of the Moosa Raza Committee?

2.     Whether Vice-Chancellor can assure that till the report of the Moosa Raza Committee to review the Act & Statute of the AMU he shall not use Section 19(3) suspending his own emergency powers as he is doing with the students by suspending their democratic rights taking vague shelter of the future Committee report?

3.     Why without the arrival of the Moosa Raza Committee on the Acts and Statutes of the Committee AMU authorities hold elections for the representation of the AMU teaching community in the Academic Council as per the Statute 18(1)(x)? Why this election was not hold till the Committee report arrived? Why the university is shamelessly discriminating with the students?

My simple advice to the agitating students, start a movement and this should be visual as much as possible. The theme of the movement should be

WHY ONLY STATUTE 34, WHY NOT SECTION 19(3)? WHY NOT ALL THE ACT AND STATUTES?

Vice-Chancellor sir, again I would like to advise you with utmost respect to believe in the intellectual and academic credibility of your students to read and judge. Don’t underestimate them so much. If the parent of the institute would fool them whom they would look up to?