22,000 students, staff suffered due to less reservation in Jamia Millia Islamia

Union minister of social justice and welfare Thawarchand Gehlot on Tuesday said that over 22,000 students and staff members have suffered in Jamia Millia Islamia alone because of the lack of reservation provisions for SCs and STs in the institution.

"Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University were central universities which were made minority institutions by the UPA government. This meant that all forms of reservations-related provisions for people from SC/ST or OBC communities were withdrawn. Scholarships are not given to students from these communities, and this has affected the lives of over 22,000 students and staff in Jamia Millia Islamia alone," the Union Minister said.

He said that with the help of former HRD minister Smriti Irani and current minister Prakash Javadekar, the social justice ministry has sought to undo the decision.

"The government, and the social justice ministry is trying to ensure that for any institution, that is recognised either in the state or the Centre, will have to follow reservation provision. Especially in cases where they are taking aid from the Centre, they will be mandated to follow reservation rules," Gehlot said.

Last year, in August, the Centre said that it will withdraw its support from a February 2011 order by the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) declaring Jamia Millia Islamia a minority institution. The HRD ministry filed a fresh affidavit in the Delhi High Court in August 2017 and said that its support for declaring Jamia a religious minority institution was not legally sound and that the Centre had erred on its legal position.

Currently, Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University grants 50 per cent reservation to Muslim students, and SCs and STs are given reservations of 15 per cent and 16 percent, respectively. Adivasis are given reservation of upto 7.5-8 per cent, while OBCs are given 27 per cent reservation.

"One community is given 50 per cent reservation, while for the rest of the communities, reservation is based on population. Our stand on the matter is very clear — as a central university, the benefits should be extended to everyone equally," said Gehlot.