A SET OF TROUBLING DEVELOPMENTS have unfolded in the Faculty of Law, Aligarh Muslim University (‘AMU’). Over eighty final-year law students, out of a batch of just 124, have been denied their IX semester marksheets on the alleged ground of attendance shortage. This has triggered widespread protests, which have since escalated into disciplinary measures, with six students suspended through an Office Memo put out onApril 23, 2026.
The AMU administration has justified the suspensions by alleging unruly conduct, including use of abusive language, damage to property, wrongful confinement of faculty members, and disruption of a B.Tech entrance exam which was scheduled on April 19, 2026. These allegations, serious as they are, must be subjected to a fair and impartial inquiry. However, even if one were to momentarily set aside the contested factual narrative surrounding the protests, the foundational administrative action that triggered the unrest–that is, the detention of students on grounds of attendance, raises far graver concerns.
Protest is an indispensable feature of any vibrant academic institution. However, the present agitation, along with the allegedly illegal administrative decision that precipitated it, followed by suspension, is not an isolated episode. It brings into sharp focus a deeper structural malaise afflicting the institution.
