“A university's essential character is that of being a center of free inquiry and criticism-a thing not to be sacrificed for anything else.”-Richard Hofstadter: ....My objective to make this blog to attain such colours and hues for my alma mater i.e Aligarh Muslim University.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
AMU Proctor Office is expert in fictional report
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Who is a Provost at AMU? Know your University functionaries
Prof.Mohammad Habib, 1st Provost of Aftab Hall in 1932-34 and a world famous historian on Medieval IndiaThursday, August 26, 2010
Know your University Functionaries: Proctor and his Power and Duties
Section 6 of Chapter XXIII of the Aligarh Muslim University Ordinances( Executive)
(ii) The Proctor shall make arrangements for the security of University establishments. He shall
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Know your University Functionaries: Dean Students Welfare, AMU
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Code of Conduct for Aligarh Muslim University Teachers
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Code of Conduct for AMU Students
(Approved by the Academic Council at its meeting hold on 6.10.1985)
Contents
Part-I
General
1. Title of the Rules:
These Rules shall be called “The Aligarh Muslim University Students Conduct and Discipline Rules, 1985.
2. Date of Commencement:
These Rules shall come into force with immediate effect.
3. Applications of Rules:
These Rules shall apply to all the students of the University, whether admitted before the date of enforcement of these Rules or afterwards.
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Part-II
Indiscipline and Misconduct
4. Acts of Indiscipline and Misconduct:
Any act of misconduct committed by a student inside or outside the campus shall be an act of violation of discipline of the University.
Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provision, violations of the discipline shall include:
(i) Disruption of teaching, student examination, research or administrative work, curricular or extra-curricular activity or residential life of the members of the University, including any attempt to prevent any member of the University or its staff from carrying on his or her work;
and any act reasonably likely to cause such disruption.
(ii) Damaging or defacing University property or the property of members of the University or any other property inside or outside the University campus.
(iii) Engaging in any attempt at wrongful confinement of teachers, offices, employees and students of the University or camping inside or creating
nuisance inside the boundaries of houses of teachers, officers and other members of the University.
(iv) Use of abusive and derogatory slogans or intimidatory language or incitement of hatred and violence or any act calculated to further the same.
(v) Ragging in any form
(v) (i) “The word ‘ragging’ means the action of teasing, playing a practical joke upon someone or holding comic parades and other activities during certain period of a College term to raise money for charity”
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Ragging includes Display of noisy, disorderly conduct, teasing excitement by rough or rude treatment or handling, including in rowdy indisciplined activities which causes or likely to cause annoyance undue hardship, physical or psychological harm or raise apprehension or fear in a fresher or asking the students to do any act or perform something which cause him/her shame or embarrassment or danger to his/her life. Forms of ragging to address senior or ‘Sir’ perform mass drills; copy class not for the seniors; sever various errands; do menial jobs for the seniors; asks/answer vulgar questions; force to look at pornographic pictures to freshers out of their innocence; force to drink alcohol, scalding tea, etc. to do acts which an lead to physical injury, mental torture or death; strip kiss or do other obscenities.
(vi) Eve teasing or disrespectful behaviour to women or girls students;
(vii) An assault upon, or intimidation of, or insulting behaviour towards a teacher, officer, employee or student or any other person.
(viii) Causing or colluding in the unauthorized entry of any person into the campus or in the unauthorized occupation of any portion of University premises, including hostels or halls of residence, by any person;
(ix) Getting enrolled in more than once course of study simultaneously in violence of the University rules;
(x) Committing forgery, tampering with or misuse of the University documents or records, identification cards, etc.,
(xi) Furnishing false certificate or false information to any office under the control and jurisdiction of the University;
(xii) Consuming or possessing alcoholic drinks, dangerous drugs or other intoxicants in the University premises.
(xiii) Indulging in acts of gambling in the University premises;
(xiv) Possessing or using any weapons such as knives, Lathis, iron chains, iron rods, sticks, explosives and fire arms in the University premises.
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(xv) Arousing communal, caste or regional feelings or creating disharmony among students;
(xvi) Not disclosing one’s identity when asked to do so by an employee or officer of the University who is authorized to ask for identity.
(xvii) Tearing of pages, defacing, burning and destroying of books of any library or seminar.
(xviii) Unauthorised occupation of hostel, rooms or unauthorised acquisition or use or University furniture in one’s hostel room or elsewhere.
(xix) Accommodating guests or other persons in hostels without permission of the Provost or Warden.
(xx) Improper rendering of accounts for money drawn from or through any office under the control and jurisdiction of the University.
(xxi) Coercing the Medical Staff to render Medical Assistance to persons not entitled to the same or any other disorderly behaviour;
(xxii) Any act of moral turpitude;
(xxiii) Any offence under law;
(xxiv) Committing any of the offences specified in the examination (Control of Unfair Means and Disorderly Conduct) Regulations of the University.
(xxv) Violation of the Traffic Rules as notified by the Proctor.
(xxvi) Improper behaviour while on tour or excursion.
(xxvii) Pasting of posters or distributing pamphlets, handbills etc. of an objectionable nature or writing on walls and disfiguring buildings, and
(xxviii) Any other act which may be considered by the Vice-Chancellor or the Discipline Committee to be an act of violation of discipline.
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Part III
Officers authorized to take disciplinary action
5. Without prejudice to the powers of the Vice-Chancellor as specified under Status 35(1), (2), (3) of the Statutes, the following persons are authorized to take disciplinary action by way of imposing penalties as specified in part IV of these Regulations;
1. Deans of the Faculties/Dean, Students’ Welfare
2. Principals of the Colleges/Institutions
3. Chairmen of the Departments of Studies
4. Proctor
5. Librarian, Maulana Azad Library
6. Provosts of Halls of Residence and N.R.S.C.
7. Secretary, University Games Committee
8. Any other person employed by the University and authorised by
the Vice-Chancellor for the purpose.
6. (i) Any penalty enumerated in Rule 7 may be imposed by the
Vice-Chancellor upon the recommendation of the Discipline
Committee constituted under Ordinances (Academic) Chapter
XI.
(ii) Penalties other than those specified in Clause (ix), (x), (xi), (xii) and (xiii) of Rule 7 may also be imposed by any of the Officers enumerated in Rule 5, within their respective jurisdictions.
(iii) Penalties on the offences relating to Examination will be dealt by the relevant bodies.
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Part IV
7. Nature of Penalties:
The following penalties may, for act of indiscipline or misconduct or for sufficient reasons, be imposed on a student, namely:
i) Written warning and information to the guardian
ii) Fine upon Rs. 500/- which may extent upto Rs. 2,500/-
iii) Suspension from the Class/Department/College/Hostel/Mess/Library/ or availing of any other facility
iv)Suspension or cancellation of Scholarships, fellowship or any financial assistance from any source or recommendation to that effect to the sanctioning agency
v) Recover of pecuniary loss caused to University Property
vi) Debarring from participation in Sports/NCC/NSS and other such activities
vii) Disqualifying from holding any representative position in the Class/College/Hostel/Mess/Sports/Clubs and in similar other bodies
viii) Hostel shift and Hall shift
ix) Sent down
x) Expulsion from the Department/Faculty/Hostel/Mess/Library/ Club for a specified period
xi) Debarring from an examination
xii) Issue of Migration Certificate
xiii) Expulsion from the University for a specified period
xiv) Disqualifying from further studies, or prohibition of further admission or re-admission.
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8. Any student against whom a charge of misconduct has been made may be suspended from the rolls of the University by the Vice-Chancellor, pending enquiry or pending trial or a cognisable offence by a court of law.
9. No penalty, provided in Clause (x), (xi), (xii), (xiii) and (xiv) of Rule 7 shall be imposed without giving the student a reasonable opportunity of being heard.
10. A review of disciplinary action/actions initiated against a student would lie with the officer issuing the orders, within seven days, and an appeal would lie against the orders of the authorities mentioned in these Rules (except the Vice-Chancellor) to the Discipline Committee.
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Friday, August 6, 2010
AMU Vice-Chancellor is mislead and misleading

Aligarh, August 6- This refer to the Press Release by the Public Relation Officer, AMU Dr.Rahat Abrar on August 1, 2010 to report the Press Conference organized by the Vice-Chancellor, AMU.
Aligarh Muslim University has captured a lot of space in the National Media for the last few months for illegal suspensions of students for practicing freedom of speech and expression to air the grievances of the students, a fundamental right as ensured under article 19(1)(a) of Indian Constitution. The PRO Office AMU has the dubious distinction of misleading the Indian Media about the draconian crackdown on the students which is a commonplace under the regime of the tainted Vice-Chancellor Prof. P.K.Abdul Azis who want to silence the slightest criticism from the students on the subject of civil liberties, human rights and financial bungling. Earlier in a Press Release of 15 November, 2010 the PRO stated, “During the last 2 years, the University administration has not suspended or rusticated any student for violation of code of conduct rules.†However their blatant lie was exposed when a report on it was published in THE HINDU “According to the RTI response, in 2007, 32 students were suspended in September, six in August, 26 in October and 15 in November. In 2008, roughly 10 students were suspended. Of the students who were suspended in 2007, 28 students were rusticated in 2008. Thirty-one students were suspended in 2009 of which 18 were suspended in November. Of the suspended students, four were rusticated. In 2010, 12 students had been suspended till April taking the total count to 148 students who had been suspended, rusticated or both.(http://www.thehindu.com/2010/06/15/stories/2010061565940300.htm)
Again the AMU authorities are apparently misleading the media and the world about the sad state of affairs here where students are at the end. In the recent Press Release it is stated “Replying to a question Prof. Azis said that the University has suspended four students in 2010â€, whereas in a RTI respon vide D.No.144 /Proc dated 14.06.2010 se the Proctor Office informed me that they have suspended 14 students till date ( Irfan Khan, Jamil Akhtar, Shahnawaz Alam, Dhananjay Singh Jadon, Rohit Sharma, Roopendra Singh, Rizwan Abid, Tanzeel Ahmad, Mohd. Maaz, Kumar Gaurav, Mohd Faheem, Afaq Ahmad, Md. Adil Hossain, Irfan Khan).
It seems either the Vice-Chancellor, AMU doesn’t bother to collect proper information from the Proctors Office or he want to defend his regime which is tainted with autocratic suspensions of brilliant students who dare to criticize him by lying to the world.
In another place it is written in the Press Release, “Referring to the allegation that democratic rights of AMU students were being undermined the Vice Chancellor said that the students were enjoying the right to air their grievances through Grievance Redressal Committees at department and hostel levels.â€
It seems that the Vice-Chancellor has grossly misunderstood the concepts of democracy and above all democratic rights. Democratic rights (here this is referred to is the freedom of speech and expression) are not for seasons or for certain days but it exist every moment for every citizen living in a democracy and also it is not confined within a space. This is a universally accepted principle and it was aptly reflected in the ruling of United States Supreme Court in the case of Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 393 U.S. 503 (1969) wherein it states, “A student's rights, therefore, do not embrace merely the classroom hours. When he is in the cafeteria, or on the playing field, or on [513] the campus during the authorized hours, he may express his opinions,†it also went on to state "It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate."
The Grievance Redressal Committees at the Department and Hostel levels are defunct bodies which neither empower neither students to air their grievances freely nor they have any legal validity. Since last students agitation no meeting of such committees have taken place and never happened to be fruitful. So the Vice-Chancellor is completely in darkness about the state of affairs of his own university. The students who had the grievances from January, 2010 till date where they would put up their problems if such committees exist in air ? The people who wrote the AMU Act, 1981 clearly gave the students their democratic representation in the statutory bodies like AMU Court and Academic Councils which the AMU Vice-Chancellor is ignoring violating his own duties under the statute 3(2) of the same Act. Secondly he showed his knowledge of democratic rights which should be brushed up by some expert on it when he suspended Mr.Irfan Khan, Research Scholar for speaking to the media “without the permission of lawful authoritiesâ€. The Irfan Khan case should hang our head in shame.
The Press Release of August 1 also stated, “The Vice Chancellor assured that the Students’ Union will be revived when the time is ripe.†It is the right of the students to have their Students Union under statute 34 of the AMU Act, 1981 and the sentence is written there is as “there shall beâ€, so its restoration is mandatory. When all exams are being conducted peacefully, when all meetings of AC, EC, Court are being conducted without any hassle what kind of peaceful academic atmosphere this Vice-Chancellor need to restore the AMUSU. He should better leave fooling around people with the words “ripe†when he does not want any democratic body at the campus which threaten his Sultanate.
AMU students are not fools and know it very well how to restore democracy and rule of law at the campus. With the growing resentment in the campus, and denying of any safety valve for releasing the pressure, the day is not far when another revolution will take place to witness some decisive moments for the “democratic rightsâ€.



