AMU’s pol science dept chief fails to inform about her arrest to varsity authorities

Agra: The chairperson of Political Science department in Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Prof Nigar Zuberi, could be in trouble for not informing the university authorities about her arrest in a property-related fraud case.

According to officials, Zuberi had surrendered in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM), Meerut, on May 6 along with her husband after the court issued a non-bailable warrant against them. However, she failed to inform the university about her arrest and remand to judicial custody.

After seeing media reports about her arrest, AMU’s registrar Abdul Hamid has written a letter to the district magistrate of Meerut, on Wednesday, seeking details of the case.

Talking to TOI, he said, “We don’t have any official communication regarding her arrest, so we have written to the DM Meerut to inquire if any FIR has been registered against her and if she is in judicial custody.”

According to a letter written to the registrar by the dean of Faculty of Social Science, Professor Akbar Husain, no leave application was submitted by Zuberi either to the principal of Women’s College or him. However, she did ask Professor Iqbalur Rehman (who is on probation for a year) to officiate as chairman, who later informed him verbally on May 11, despite officiating since May 6.

A case against chairman of AMU’s political science department, Nigar Zuberi and her husband Moinuddin Khan, was registered at Nauchandi police station, Meerut in November 2017 under section 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), 406 (criminal breach of trust), and 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of IPC, on a complaint filed by Zaheen Ahmad. A copy of the FIR is in TOI’s possession.

Zaheen’s lawyer, Mateen Ahmad Rizvi told TOI that Zuberi and her husband’s bail application hearing was scheduled on Wednesday in the district court, Meerut and the judge reserved the order after arguments.

Former chairman in the department of Philosophy, AMU, professor Tariq Islam said that the university administration should take immediate action against her to save its reputation. He said, “The matter is already in public domain and hence there is no need to wait for an official communication.”