AMU's Minority Status Contested: A Race Against Time in Supreme Court's Verdict

Justice Dipankar Datta, part of a seven-judge Constitution bench, dissents in a 4:3 Supreme Court verdict stating Aligarh Muslim University is not a minority institution. His views, constrained by limited time, emphasize consensus-building and court pressures, yet ultimately conclude AMU's status as non-minority.

In a significant Supreme Court verdict, Justice Dipankar Datta dissented in a 4:3 majority ruling, stating Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) is not a minority educational institution. Justice Datta highlighted the constraints of time in articulating his full dissenting opinion.

Justice Datta pointed out the lack of a 'true democratic spirit' in the deliberations among the judges, emphasizing the need for open dialogues. Despite pressures and limited time following Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud's draft opinion received on October 17, Justice Datta crafted his separate views just before the November 10 deadline.

The verdict overruled the 1967 judgment that labeled AMU as a central law-created institution, ultimately rejecting its minority status. Justice Datta, while respecting the majority, maintained that AMU's establishment did not align with minority institution criteria.

(With inputs from agencies.)