The Centre has decided to challenge the Allahabad high court order quashing the minority character of the Aligarh Muslim University, a senior official of Human Resource Ministry said in New Delhi Thursday.

"We have received a copy of the high court order. We are studying it. We will be going either to the division bench of the high court or the Supreme Court so that the minority status of the institution is maintained," the official told PTI.

The decision has been taken on the direction of HRD Minister Arjun Singh [Images] who is away in Paris attending the United Nations Educational and Scientific Organisation conference, he said.

• AMU students take HC decision easy

The HRD ministry official indicated the Centre would be seeking relief "very soon, may be by the end of this month".

The government would be seeking relief from the high court or the Surpeme Court so that the minority status of the instiution as was enshrined in the AMU Amendment 1981 Act was maintained, the official said adding, the ministry was a party in the case in which Allahabad high court had recently given its judgement.

On October 4, the Allahabad high court had quashed the AMU Amendment Act 1981, which provided minority institution status to AMU. It said the notification issued by the HRD ministry on February 25, 2005, permitting AMU to reserve a quota for Muslims in post-graduate medical courses was also illegal.