The Delhi High Court summoned Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) for a response regarding a petition from professor Eqbal Hussain contesting a previous ruling nullifying his appointment as the pro vice chancellor and later as acting vice chancellor of the institution. A panel led by Justice Vibhu Bakhru issued a notification to JMI regarding Hussain’s challenge against the prior decision and set a follow-up hearing for August 12.
“The respondent is free to submit a counter affidavit, if deemed necessary,” stated the court. A solitary judge of the high court, while reviewing pleas from Md. Shami Ahmad Ansari and others, invalidated Hussain’s appointments as pro vice chancellor and then as the acting VC of Jamia on May 22, citing noncompliance with pertinent regulations.
Shortly after the ruling, Prof. Mohammad Shakeel was appointed as the acting VC. The petitioner’s counsel appealed for interim relief, yet the bench, also including Justice Tara V Ganju, declined to issue such an order, asserting, “We won’t impede the functioning of an incumbent.”
The solitary judge mandated a fresh appointment for the acting VC role within a week and advised the ‘Visitor’, the President of India, to commence the process of appointing a permanent VC in the interim. Hussain lodged a separate plea against Prof Shakeel’s appointment as acting VC, contending that it violates the court’s directive, which explicitly instructed the Visitor to appoint an acting VC. On Tuesday, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma and attorney Pritish Sabharwal, representing JMI, informed the high court that the Visitor’s nominees were involved in the decision-making process that led to Shakeel’s appointment, emphasizing Shakeel’s seniority.
On September 14, 2023, the former VC, Prof Najma Akhtar, designated Hussain as the Pro VC of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI). Subsequently, following Akhtar’s retirement on November 12, 2023, the registrar’s office announced Hussain’s assumption of duties as acting VC.
