Overview
Jamia Millia Islamia is a public central research university located in New Delhi, India. It was originally established at Aligarh in the United Provinces (present-day Uttar Pradesh) in 1920 during the British Raj, and shifted to its current location at Okhla, New Delhi, in 1935.
The university was founded by a group of nationalist leaders and educationists including Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Mahmud Hasan Deobandi, Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, Abdul Majeed Khwaja, Zakir Hussain, Mahatma Gandhi and Maulana Azad. Its foundation stone was laid by Mahmud Hasan Deobandi, a leader of the Silk Letter Movement and the first student of Darul Uloom Deoband, along with Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari and Abdul Majid Khwaja. Mohammad Ali Jauhar served as its first vice-chancellor from 1920 to 1923, while Hakim Ajmal Khan served as the first chancellor from 1920 to 1927.
Jamia Millia Islamia was granted deemed university status by the University Grants Commission in 1962. It was subsequently accorded the status of a central university by an act of the Indian Parliament passed on 26 December 1988.
On 26 May 2017, Najma Heptulla became the 11th Chancellor of the university and the first woman to hold the post. Najma Akhtar became the first woman to serve as Vice-Chancellor, taking charge in April 2019 and continuing in the office until 12 November 2023. On 13 March 2023, Mufaddal Saifuddin was elected the 12th Chancellor of the university. In 2020, the institution was placed first among central universities in rankings released by the Ministry of Education of India, and in December 2021 it received an 'A++' grade from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).
References
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article on English Wikipedia page for Jamia Millia Islamia