The Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD), in its reply filed before a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur, said that three names were forwarded to the President under the relevant provisions of the Aligarh Muslim University Act.
The President appointed one of the short-listed persons as the VC, the ministry said, adding the varsity is yet to adopt the regulations of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
The reply of the HRD Ministry was filed in response to a plea of an alumni of the university seeking a direction to quash appointment of Lt Gen (Retd) Zameeruddin Shah as the VC.
"As far as the appointment of present Vice Chancellor of the AMU is concerned, the university has explained in its affidavit that the adoption of clause 7.3.0 of the UGC regulations was kept in abeyance at the time of processing the matter of the filling up of the post of Vice Chancellor.
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The appointment of Shah as the VC of AMU on May 11, 2012
was challenged on the ground that according to the UGC regulations, the VC ought to have worked for at least 10 years as a professor in a university or on an equivalent post in a research or academic institute.
The ministry said that the UGC regulations on Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and Other Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education, 2010 are mandatory for central universities.
"All the central universities should adopt these regulations without fail and as early as possible in order to ensure maintenance of standards in higher education," it said.
Earlier, the apex court had asked the Centre whether "a university can itself be termed as a minority institution."
The court has also sought Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi's assistance in the matter.