AMU minority status: 7-judge SC bench to start hearing on Jan 9

A 7-judge Supreme Court Constitution bench will start hearing from January 9 plea regarding the minority status of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). The bench presided by CJI D Y Chandrachud will also comprise Justices Sanjiv Khanna, Surya Kant, J B Pardiwala, Dipankar Datta, Manoj Misra and K V Viswanathan.

In 2005, the Allahabad HC had ruled that AMU is not a minority institution. AMU and the then UPA government challenged this before the SC. In 2016, the NDA government informed the SC that it is withdrawing the appeal filed by the government.

On February 12, 2019, a 3-judge bench presided by the then CJI Ranjan Gogoi referred the matter to a 7-judge bench.

The 7-judge bench will lay down parameters for granting minority status to an educational institution under Article 30 of the Constitution and also decide whether an educational institution created under a parliamentary statute can be given such status.