AMU land row: VC’s remarks on Central Government ownership trigger questions from university fraternity

A fresh controversy has emerged at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) after Vice-Chancellor Prof. Naima Khatoon described the university as an autonomous educational institution under the Central Government and said its properties therefore come under the Central Government, prompting questions from former students’ union office-bearers and alumni over the legal basis of the assertion.

The remarks came amid a dispute between AMU and the Aligarh Municipal Corporation over a nearly 3.8-acre plot at the university’s Riding Field.

The land, estimated to be worth around Rs 500 crore, was fenced by municipal officials on Aug 20, followed by bulldozer action. AMU officials, including Vice-Chancellor Khatoon, reached the site and objected to the civic body’s action.

AMU has maintained that the disputed land legally belongs to the university. In its statement, the university said the land had been acquired on June 13, 1925, under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, and was subsequently reserved for AMU by the Governor of the United Provinces on November 19, 1940.

The university has also said that it possesses archival records, revenue documents and other legal evidence supporting its ownership claim.

According to AMU, its revenue records were allegedly tampered with in 1992 without an order or approval from a competent authority. The university said it became aware of the alleged tampering in 2003 and has since sought correction of the records.

AMU formally submitted its claim before the competent authority on March 29, 2025, seeking correction of the revenue records.

The matter remains pending before the SDM, Kol, according to the university. It has also referred to a joint measurement conducted in January 2022, following which a report by the Tehsildar, Kanoongo and Lekhpal recorded the disputed property as belonging to the AMU Riding Field.

The Aligarh Municipal Corporation has claimed that the 3.863-hectare plot, spread across 10 plot numbers in Nagla Patwari village, has been recorded as “banjar bhumi” in revenue records since 1992.

The civic body has proposed using the land for public facilities including a police station, schools, an intermediate college, a hospital and a sports complex. AMU disputes the claim and says the land has belonged to the university since 1925.

Following objections from both sides, the District Magistrate ordered status quo, with the ownership dispute to be decided by the SDM.

The Aligarh Municipal Corporation, however, has maintained that the land belongs to it. Municipal Commissioner Prem Prakash Meena said the civic body has records showing that the plot has belonged to it for around 40 years. The corporation has said it intends to undertake urban development work on the land.

Aligarh District Magistrate Avinash Kumar said the Sub-Divisional Magistrate court is seized of the matter and has issued notices to both AMU and the municipal corporation. He said both sides have been asked to produce their records and that the issue requires documentary and archival examination.

Against this backdrop, the Vice-Chancellor’s description of AMU’s properties as being under the Central Government has drawn reactions within the university fraternity.

Former students’ union office-bearers and alumni have questioned whether AMU’s status as a Central university by itself establishes that its properties are owned by the Central Government.

The controversy has therefore brought the university’s institutional status and the ownership of its properties into the wider debate surrounding the ongoing land dispute.

The issue comes at a time when the ownership claim over the Riding Field remains pending before the local authorities. AMU has said it will pursue all available legal avenues to protect its property and records, while the district administration has indicated that the competing documentary claims will have to be examined before a decision is taken.

The dispute is separate from the question of whether AMU is a Central university. The immediate issue before the local authorities is the competing claims over the ownership and revenue records of the specific Riding Field plot.