Regulation by statute does not rob a varsity of minority status: Justice Chandrachud
- A seven-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India observed that an educational institution does not lose its minority status merely on the ground that its administration is regulated by a statute.
Key Highlights
- The court noted that an educational institution need not offer just religious courses.
- Article 30 of the Constitution does not envisage that the administration of the educational institution ought to be absolutely by the members of a minority community.
- The administration could be secular and students from any community could get admission
- The court is considering a reference on questions about the indices for treating an educational institution as a minority educational institution.
- The points of reference in the case stemmed from a 1967 judgement by a five-judge Bench of the court in S. Azeez Basha vs Union of India
- Which validated amendments made to the Aligarh Muslim University Act of 1920.
- The Basha judgement had concluded that the varsity was a central university and minority status cannot be conferred on it.
Prelims Takeaway
- S. Azeez Basha vs Union of India
- Article 30