In a 1968 lawsuit, the Supreme Court of India scrapped the minority status of the AMU. Then prime minister Indira Gandhi restored the AMU's minority status through legislation in 1981.

But in 2006, a division bench of the Allahabad High Court struck down the provision of the AMU Amendment Act, 1981. It rejected the central government's plea for restoring the minority status of the AMU and scrapped 50 percent reservation for Muslim students.

This was challenged by the centre in the apex court, which is yet to take a decision on the matter.

Minority affairs ministry officials said the government was trying to work out a new model to overcome such legal hurdles.

According to this model, the 'land for these universities will be given by the Waqf board and the government will set up a university on it. Since these universities will be for the minorities, reservation for 50 percent minority students will be justified'.

The draft has been prepared and will be sent to the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD).

(Khalid Akhter can be contacted at khalid.a@ians.in)