Naima Khatoon makes history as first woman AMU VC in over a century

Naima Khatoon has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), making her the first woman to hold the top position in over a century.

According to officials, Khatoon’s appointment was approved by the Ministry of Education (MoE) after receiving the nod from President Droupadi Murmu, who serves as the University’s Visitor. The  announcement was made on April 22.

Additionally, sources indicated that permission was sought from the Election Commission of India (ECI) due to the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

“Naima Khatoon, Principal, Women’s College, has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor of AMU for a period of five years. The ECI has stated that the commission has no objection from the MCC angle to the proposal related to the appointment of the AMU VC subject to the condition that no political mileage be derived from it,” a senior official told news agency PTI.

Khatoon, who earned her PhD in psychology from AMU, began her career at the university as a lecturer in the same department in 1988. She was later promoted to the position of professor in 2006, where she continued her academic journey. In 2014, she was appointed as the principal of the Women’s College, a position she held until her recent appointment as Vice Chancellor of the university.

Established in 1875, the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College underwent a significant evolution in 1920, when it was reconstituted as the Aligarh Muslim University, subsequent to the enactment of the Aligarh Muslim University Act.

In September 2020, AMU celebrated its centenary, marking 100 years as a university and becoming one of the oldest universities in India. Despite its long history, the university had not appointed a woman as Vice Chancellor until Naima Khatoon’s recent appointment.

In 1920, Begum Sultan Jahan made history by becoming the first woman appointed as the Chancellor of AMU. To date, she remains the only woman to have held this prestigious post at the university.

Khatoon’s husband, Professor Mohammad Gulrez, assumed the role of Acting Vice Chancellor of AMU last year after the then VC, Tariq Mansoor, resigned from the post following his nomination as a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council.

Khatoon’s inclusion among the shortlisted candidates for the top post sparked controversy in October last year, with some university officials raising concerns about a potential conflict of interest.

On October 30, 2023, the 27-member Executive Council (EC), AMU’s highest decision-making body, shortlisted five of the 20 eligible applicants. There were a total of 36 applicants for the post of VC.

In a letter to President Murmu, Mujahid Beg, one of the 36 applicants whose name was not picked by the EC, had called for setting aside the panel and “re-initiate the process afresh”.

“Surprisingly, the VC not only chaired the meeting of the EC but also voted for his wife. Another blow to free and fair elections… The VC did not declare his impartiality in respect of the candidates, so as to dispel any justifiable doubt about his independence and the impartiality of the proceedings, as his own wife is one of the candidates staking her claim for the post of Vice-Chancellor,” Beg had said.

In addition to Khatoon, the EC recommended several other names for the position. These include legal scholar and former VC of NALSAR University Faizan Mustafa, biochemist and VC of Srinagar’s Cluster University Qayyum Husain, renowned cardiologist and AMU professor M U Rabbani, and Jamia Millia Islamia University professor Furqan Qamar.

(With inputs from agencies.)