Ex-AMU official alleges 'financial irregularity' by univ admin

A retired section officer at the Aligarh Muslim University submitted a complaint to President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleging that the university administration has indulged in "financial irregularity."
Complainant Khaliquzzaman, in his memorandum, has alleged that the university administration had indulged in "financial irregularity" by hiring two lawyers to defend the incumbent Vice-chancellor Zamiruddin Shah in a case pending in the Allahabad High Court.
The matter pertains to the legality of the VC's appointment made more than three years back, he said, adding that "the legal fees" should have been paid from the Vice-chancellor's private funds and not from the university's exchequer.

Commenting on the issue, the AMU Vice-chancellor Zamiruddin Shah said, "This move is made so that I cannot check any wrong-doing. Attempts by such frustrated elements will not succeed."
The university's spokesperson, Rahat Abrar, described the complaint as "frivolous trivial and motivated".
Abrar said that in the year 2014, a former student leader Syed Abrar Ahmed had filed a petition in the Allahabad High Court challenging VC's appointment on technical grounds.

"Since the appointment had been made by the University's Visitor (President of India) and had been duly ratified by the UGC, the above petition had, in fact, directly challenged the Visitors step.

"There is a clear precedent that whenever any individual challenges any move by university authorities, it is the university which funds all legal expenses in such cases and not the individual," Abrar said.
Khaliquzzaman had also claimed in an interview that the Central Vigilance Commission has issued a notice to the university in this connection.
Responding to this, Abrar said, "So far have not received any such notice as alleged in some media reports".
"If we receive any such notice from the CVC office we will immediately respond to the charge and clarify the matter," he added.