Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

AMU verdict

The Division Bench of the Allahabad High Court has done well in upholding a single-judge verdict of the same court quashing the Aligarh Muslim University's minority status and dismissing as unconstitutional 50 per cent reservation for Muslims in post-graduate courses. Communal reservation is no remedy for educational backwardness. The Centre should look beyond vote bank considerations.

K. Subramanian,
St. Louis, Missouri

Our politicians have a gift for complicating matters, a fact proved by the Centre challenging the single-judge verdict of the same court. The steps the Centre has been taking in recent times to retain its vote bank have only added to the insecurity of the communities concerned. One hopes better sense will prevail and the Centre will indeed "allow the matter to rest and refrain from promulgating an Ordinance" (editorial "Religious reservation and AMU," Jan. 9).

M.K.D. Prasada Rao,
Ghaziabad, U.P.

The personal views of a historian, quoted in the editorial, cannot and should not be taken as the majority opinion of the Muslim community. The proposed ordinance is a step in the right direction.

S.M. Pasha,
Chennai

The judgment has shattered the hopes of the Muslim community. Positive discrimination is necessary to bring the underprivileged into the mainstream. There is certainly need to review the verdict.

A.S.M. Soyeb & M.S. Saqib Qasmi,
Aligarh, U.P.

We the students of AMU are at a crossroads. We feel the situation demands the intervention of Parliament. We hope the democratic establishment will come forward to restore the university's minority status. The second largest community in India has to be brought on a par with others in terms of development.

Jasim Mohammad,
Aligarh, U.P.

The facts of the case are clear — AMU was set up by an Act of Parliament and does not qualify to be a minority institution; and its founder was clear in his objective of keeping the doors open to all. Why then are the university and the Centre bent on reversing the court verdict that has reinforced the facts?

Gangadhara Rao Reddy,
Jangareddigudem, A.P.

The UPA Government's proposed ordinance to nullify the judgment and the 93rd amendment to the Constitution exempting minority educational institutions from implementing the quota system reflect its policy of appeasement. A government is expected to respect court judgments and not look for loopholes to negate them.

Hilda Raja,
Chennai

Who is responsible for the educational backwardness of Muslims? Certainly not the state or any other community. No Indian university or institution denies admission to Muslims. Creating minority institutions will only further isolate the community.

Shankaranarayana Bhat,
Kasaragod, Kerala

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan wanted Muslims to get modern education through English for which he proposed to establish a college. He collected money from different sections of society. His Hindu friends also contributed liberally. In fact, a section of Muslims opposed his mission. It was the Aligarh education movement that prompted Gandhi to say: "Sir Syed was the messenger of education." Muslims should not be disheartened by the court verdict. Reservation and minority status will not solve their problems. They should bear in mind Sir Syed's vision that "acquisition of modern knowledge is the only solution for the problems Muslims are facing in this world." Dharnas and agitations will only help bigots exploit the situation.

Iqtedar Husain Farooqi,
Lucknow

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