On Monday, Eqbal Hussain, the Pro-Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, assumed the role of the university’s acting Vice Chancellor as Najma Akhtar’s tenure, the first woman to hold the position, came to an end. According to an official statement, Hussain will serve as the acting Vice Chancellor until a permanent appointment is made to the post.

Najma Akhtar was appointed as the Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) in April 2019 for a period of five years or until reaching the age of 70, whichever came earlier. Following the completion of Akhtar’s tenure on November 12, 2023, Eqbal Hussain, the Pro-Vice Chancellor of JMI, will discharge the duties of the officiating Vice Chancellor in accordance with Statute 2(6) read with Statute 4(2) of the Jamia Millia Islamia Act, 1988. This will be effective from November 13, 2023, forenoon, until a new Vice Chancellor is appointed to assume office.

Hussain, appointed as the Pro-Vice Chancellor in September, holds a Ph.D. from Jamia Millia Islamia and completed his LL.M, LL.B, and B.Sc. from Aligarh Muslim University. Commencing his teaching career in 1990 as a research associate at the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, Hussain has also taught at Jamia Hamdard, Zanzibar University, Tanzania. His areas of interest encompass intellectual property rights, consumer protection laws, and mercantile laws and jurisprudence.

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