The Allahabad High Court has instructed Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) to be precise and unambiguous in future advertisements for Lecturer posts. The court emphasized that eligibility criteria should be clearly stated to prevent confusion among applicants.
"…such ambiguity should be removed i.e. words shall be chosen carefully, and instead of ambiguous words like ‘concerned/relevant/allied subject,’ the University must specify qualifications so that all eligible candidates can apply without prejudice," observed Justice Saurabh Shyam Shamshery in his order.
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The decision was made in response to a petition filed by Amna Khatoon, Dr. Mohd. Azfar Shaida, and Dr. Syed Md. Humayun Akhter, who argued that AMU’s job advertisements were unclear about whether candidates with an M.Sc. in Industrial Chemistry qualified for the Lecturer (Chemistry) post.
Background of the Case
AMU had issued advertisements in 2019 and 2020 for the Lecturer (Chemistry) position. The qualifications mentioned included a Master’s degree in a "concerned/relevant/allied subject." The petitioners contended that this phrasing was vague, making it unclear whether an M.Sc. in Industrial Chemistry was acceptable.
Advocate Zeeshan Khan, representing the petitioners, argued that Industrial Chemistry should be considered an allied subject, qualifying them for the post. He pointed out that AMU had issued a corrigendum in 2019, clarifying that M.Sc. in Industrial Chemistry was not equivalent to M.Sc. in Chemistry. However, in 2021, AMU took a contradictory stance by considering Industrial Chemistry an "allied subject" in certain circumstances.
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"This contradiction caused unnecessary confusion and was arbitrary," the petitioners argued.
Additionally, Advocate Ali Bin Saif highlighted that AMU failed to adhere to a Supreme Court judgment from 2009 (Mohd. Sohrab Khan vs. Aligarh Muslim University and others), which explicitly stated that M.Sc. in Industrial Chemistry does not qualify a candidate for a Lecturer (Chemistry) post unless explicitly mentioned in the advertisement.
AMU’s Response
On behalf of AMU, Advocate Tirath Raj Shukla argued that the ambiguity had already been resolved, and the 2022 advertisements had led to the appointment of new candidates, rendering the petition irrelevant.
However, the High Court noted that AMU had not fully complied with the Supreme Court’s directive.
“…on one hand, they have adopted that M.Sc. Industrial Chemistry would fall within ‘allied subject’, therefore, treated it to be an eligibility for the post of Lecturer (Chemistry), however, an arbitrary decision was taken that their candidature will be considered last if candidates with M.Sc. (Chemistry) were available.”
The Allahabad High Court noted that since the selection process had already been completed and the appointed candidates were not part of the case, the petition had become infructuous. However, the court issued a strong directive to AMU, emphasizing the need for clear and precise job advertisements in the future.
The court instructed AMU to strictly adhere to the Supreme Court’s 2009 ruling, ensuring that all future advertisements clearly specify the exact qualifications required for the post. It also directed that ambiguous terms like "concerned/relevant/allied subject" must be avoided to prevent confusion among applicants. Furthermore, the Registrar of AMU was explicitly ordered to ensure compliance with this directive to avoid similar disputes in the future.
Case title - Amna Khatoon And 2 Others Vs. Aligarh Muslim University Through Its Vice Chancellor And Another 2025
