Muslim reservation no longer mandatory in Jamia Millia

A recent policy amendment in Jamia Millia Islamia's (JMI) PhD admissions has raised alarm over an apparent weakening of its minority reservation requirement. The amendment, introduced through a notification, now leaves it to the discretion of departments to voluntarily implement the 50% reservation for Muslim students rather than making it mandatory. The ordinance has been put up on the university website.

This has triggered warnings about the "dilution" of Jamia's minority quota. The amendment, which was made effective by a November 12, 2024, notification, amends Ordinance 9 (IX) on PhD admissions by replacing the term "shall" with "may."

The revised ordinance, available on the university’s website, states: “While granting admission to PhD programmes, the Faculty/Department/Centre may pay due attention to JMI’s reservation policy adopted for admissions.” Previously, the policy clearly mandated: “50 percent of the seats shall be reserved for Muslim candidates.”

The amendment was approved by Vice-Chancellor Professor Mazhar Asif on behalf of the Executive Council and Academic Council and signed by Registrar Professor Md Mahtab Alam Rizvi in notification.

Being a minority institution with constitutional protection, Jamia is entitled by law to reserve 50% of the seats for Muslim candidates according to the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions Act, 2004. But the new amendment leaves the decision to implement or not implement the reservation in the hands of the administration.

The All India Students' Association (AISA) has condemned the decision as a "deliberate attack on the rights of Muslim students." The student body said in a Friday press release, "Jamia Millia Islamia, a constitutionally protected minority institution, is under law obligated to keep 50% of its seats for Muslim students. But the recent amendment has intentionally watered down this policy by making reservation voluntary."

AISA also presented figures on the alleged exclusion of Muslim applicants. Data given by the student body reveal that certain of the departments have plenty of vacant seats despite Muslim applicants being on hand. For instance, the Department of English has 17 vacant seats, although 15 non-Muslim applicants and only 12 Muslim students were accepted for the academic year 2024-25.

The students have demanded instantaneous corrective actions like withdrawal of the amendment and reimposition of the binding 50% Muslim reservation policy.