A parliamentary committee on the welfare of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) will meet officials from the Education Ministry, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), and Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) on June 13. The panel will review the steps taken by these universities to ensure OBC representation in student admissions and employment.
The committee aims to understand why these minority institutions do not have specific quotas for Muslim OBC communities, especially since they currently do not provide reservations based on socio-economic categories or religion in employment.
A member of the panel told The Hindu, “These are minority institutions that do not provide quotas for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and OBCs. But the question the committee wants to ask is why they do not have a specific quota for Muslim OBCs.”
At present, AMU does not have any reservation policy based on religion or socio-economic status for admissions or employment, except for seats reserved for students who studied in AMU-run schools.
Jamia Millia Islamia has a reservation policy for admissions notified in 2011. It reserves 30% of seats for Muslim candidates, including 10% for Muslim women and 10% specifically for Muslim OBC and Scheduled Tribe candidates. However, JMI does not provide reservations for SC, ST, or OBC categories in employment, as confirmed by the Ministry of Education.
On April 2, 2025, Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar said in Parliament, “JMI does not implement reservation policy for SC, ST, and OBC considering itself a minority institution.” He added, “The matter of minority status of JMI is currently sub-judice in the High Court of Delhi.”
The parliamentary committee is chaired by Ganesh Singh, Member of Parliament from Satna representing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The meeting will also discuss welfare measures taken for OBC students and staff in these institutions.
