House panel looking to pursue quota for Muslim OBCs in AMU, Jamia Millia Islamia
A parliamentary panel on the welfare of Other Backward Classes will meet with officials of the Education Ministry and representatives of Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia over measures taken by them to secure representation of OBCs in admissions and employment this June.
The meeting schedule for the Parliamentary Committee on the Welfare of OBCs noted that on June 13, the above-mentioned representatives of the Union Ministry and the minority institutions will be expected to give 'evidence' on the measures they have taken to secure the representation of OBCs in their universities, both in admissions and employment, along with measures taken for their welfare.
Sources aware of the agenda for the meeting have told The Hindu that the parliamentary committee intends to pursue a quota for Muslim OBC communities within these minority institutions, both for admissions and in employment.
A member of the panel told The Hindu, 'The panel understands that these are minority institutions that do not provide for quotas for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and OBCs. But the question that the committee feels the need to ask is why these institutions do not have a specific quota for Muslims who fall under the OBC socio-economic category.'
Currently, the AMU has no reservation policy for admissions or employments based on religion or socio-economic category. JMI has a reservation policy for admissions under which a 10% quota is reserved for Muslim OBCs and STs but does not have a reservation policy for SCs, STs and OBCs in employment as per a Parliament reply.
The parliamentary committee is currently chaired by Bharatiya Janata Party's Satna MP Ganesh Singh.
While the AMU has no reservation policy for admissions or employment apart from the quota reserved for students who have studied in schools run by the AMU, the JMI implements a reservation policy in admission to courses, which was notified in 2011.
As per the JMI reservation policy available on their website, the university reserved 30% of seats in each course for candidates who are Muslim; 10% is reserved for Muslim women; and a 10% quota is reserved for Muslim candidates from either OBC or ST backgrounds. Apart from this, the JMI has quotas earmarked for Persons with Disabilities and internal students of Jamia.
According to the reservation guidelines of the university, the JMI is exempted from implementing the quota for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), introduced in 2019.
In response to a question in Parliament on teacher recruitment at the JMI, Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar on April 2, 2025, said: 'JMI does not implement the reservation policy for SC, ST and OBC considering itself minority institution.' Mr. Majumdar added, 'Presently, the matter of minority status of JMI is sub-judice in Hon'ble High Court of Delhi.'
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