Professor Nazim Hussain Jafri, who previously held the position of officiating registrar under Vice Chancellor Najma Akhtar and was reportedly considered close to her then, has been reinstated in the Department of History and Culture at Jamia Millia Islamia.
His reinstatement follows an official Jamia Millia Islamia order, complying with a directive from the High Court. Professor Jafri was removed from his position three months ago and subsequently filed a petition challenging the decision. The court later ordered the university to reinstate him with immediate effect.
On December 24, 2024, the current Vice Chancellor appointed Professor Preeti Sharma as the Head of the Department of History and Culture, Faculty of Humanities and Languages, Jamia Millia Islamia, effective the same day. Her appointment is for a term of three years or until further notice, whichever comes first.
Previously, on August 28, 2024, the then officiating Vice Chancellor had appointed Professor Jafri as Head of the Department, effective from September 11, 2024, until he reached the age of 65 or until further orders.
Professor Jafri has been a subject of attention since April 2024, when he was removed from his role as officiating Registrar by former officiating Vice Chancellor Eqbal Hussain.
His academic appointment in History Department of Jamia Millia Islamia has also been the subject of controversy.
In 2022, a petition challenged the process through which he was appointed as Professor in the Department of History and Culture. At the time, the university stated that Dr. Nazim Hussain Al-Jafri, then serving as Controller of Examinations, had been appointed as a Professor in the department.
“The Executive Council has also approved the appointment of Dr. Nazim Husain Al-Jafri as Professor in the Department of History & Culture of the university,” the university announced.
However, the Delhi High Court later dismissed the plea against his appointment, stating that no grounds were found to support the challenge.
On January 20, 2022, the Vice Chancellor had unilaterally appointed Jafri to the post of Professor in the Department of History and Culture.
In a report published on February 23, 2022, Advocate M Sarwar, representing petitioner Mohammad Javed Malik, said the university had issued advertisement in June last year inviting applications in various departments while laying down the eligibility criteria and qualifications from applicants. However, on January 20, this year, the Vice Chancellor of the university unilaterally appointed Hussain to post of Professor in Department of History and Culture by invoking Section 11(3) of the Jamia Millia Islamia Act.
Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma along with Standing Counsel Fuzail Ahmad Ayyubi and Pritish Sabhrawal, representing the JMI, said Hussain has more than 35 years of vast experience in university administration and he has also been given the assignment to act as VC at Khwaja Moinuddin (State) on several occasions and served in different universities in various capacities.
