Delhi High Court Dismissed Plea Against Jamia VC Najma Akhtar’s Appointment
Update: 2023-05-19 12:00 IST
Jamia Millia Islamia
The Delhi High Court dismissed a challenge against Najma Akhtar's selection as Jamia Millia Islamia's new vice chancellor. On March 5, 2021, a petition contesting her appointment was dismissed by a single judge. A bench of justices Rajiv Shakdher and Talwant Singh maintained that order.
The Court dismissed the appeal against the decision by a single judge that rejected a request to overturn Dr. Najma Akhtar's appointment as vice-chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) on Thursday. In March 2021, a single bench dismissed a petition that questioned Akhtar's nomination.
The Delhi government instructed the Services department to disregard any directives that had not been approved by the responsible minister. With reference to any kind of employee, no directives will be given by the Chief Secretary or the Secretary (Services), according to Saurabh Bharadwaj, who is in charge of the department's portfolio.
In the appeal against Akhtar's appointment, it was argued that Justice (Retd) MSA Siddiqui, one of the committee members, did not meet the criterion that the search-cum-selection (SCS) committee be composed of individuals of prominence in the field of higher education. Additionally, it was contended that the committee was obligated to provide justifications for choosing Akhtar and that the ministry of human resource development (MHRD, now the ministry of education) had no part to play in suggesting the individuals to be placed on the committee.