AMU VC selection row: Petition in Allahabad high court against inclusion of acting VC's wife

MUZAFFARNAGAR: Syed Afzal Murtaza Rizvi, a professor in the computer science department at Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi, confirmed on Wednesday that he has filed a petition in the Allahabad high court against the selection process for the vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). This move comes after the acting VC's wife, Naima Khatoon, was included in a list of shortlisted candidates. The court has scheduled a hearing for November 16.The controversy began when the executive council (EC) of AMU shortlisted "five eligible names," including the present VC's wife. An AMU professor wrote a letter to the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, alleging that "the process of selecting a new AMU VC was not followed in a proper manner." Subsequently, the AMU court forwarded three names, including Khatoon, to the Ministry of Education and the President of India for the selection of the new VC. In response to the petition, Khatoon, principal of AMU's Women's College, said, "Rizvi has no connection with the EC, and nobody had nominated him for the AMU VC role. I don't understand why people are objecting to the selection process for the next VC when everything was conducted per UGC regulations and guidelines established by the central government." Notably, if Khatoon is elected, she will be the first woman to become the VC in the hundred-year history of the varsity.