Arif Mohammad Khan | |
|---|---|
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| 30thGovernor of Bihar | |
| Assumed office 2 January 2025 (2025-01-02) | |
| President | Droupadi Murmu |
| Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
| Chief Minister | Nitish Kumar |
| Preceded by | Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar |
| 22ndGovernor of Kerala | |
| In office 6 September 2019 – 2 January 2025 | |
| President | Ramnath Kovind Droupadi Murmu |
| Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
| Chief Minister | Pinarayi Vijayan |
| Preceded by | P. Sathasivam |
| Succeeded by | Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar |
| Union Minister of Civil Aviation | |
| In office 6 December 1989 – 10 November 1990 | |
| Prime Minister | V. P. Singh |
| Preceded by | Shivraj Patil |
| Succeeded by | Harmohan Dhawan |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 1980 (1980) – 1984 (1984) | |
| Preceded by | Manohar Lal |
| Succeeded by | Naresh Chander Chaturvedi |
| Constituency | Kanpur |
| In office 1984 (1984) – 1991 (1991) | |
| Preceded by | Maulana Saiyad Muzaffar Hussain |
| Succeeded by | Rudrasen Chaudhary |
| Constituency | Bahraich |
| In office 1998 (1998) – 1999 (1999) | |
| Preceded by | Padamsen Chaudhary |
| Succeeded by | Padamsen Chaudhary |
| Constituency | Bahraich |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1951-11-18)18 November 1951 (age 74) |
| Nationality | India |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Spouse | Reshma Arif |
| Residence | Raj Bhavan, Patna |
Arif Mohammad Khan (born 18 November 1951) is an Indian politician currently serving as 30thGovernor of Bihar.[1] He is a member of theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and previously served asGovernor of Kerala from 2022 to 2025, and as aUnion minister who has held several portfolios ranging from energy to civil aviation.[2][3][4]
Arif Mohammad Khan was born on 18 November 1951 inBulandshahr. He was educated at Jamia Millia School, Delhi,Aligarh Muslim University,Aligarh and atShia College,University of Lucknow.[5]
Ex-MLAAsif Muhammad Khan is his younger brother.
Arif Mohammad Khan translatedVande Mataram intoUrdu.[6] It can be read in Urdu (Devanagari script)
Khan started his political career as a student leader. He was the President ofAligarh Muslim University Students' Union in the year 1972–73 and also its honorary Secretary a year earlier (1971–72).[5] He contested the first legislative assembly election fromSiyana constituency ofBulandshahar onBharatiya Kranti Dal party's banner but was defeated. He became a member of the legislative assembly of UP in 1977 at the age of 26.[7]
Khan joined theIndian National Congress party and was elected to theLok Sabha in 1980 fromKanpur and 1984 fromBahraich. In 1986, he quit theIndian National Congress due to differences over the passage ofMuslim Personal Law Bill which was piloted byRajiv Gandhi in theLok Sabha. He was against the legislation to enable Muslim men to avoid giving their divorced wife or wives any maintenance after theiddah period as per the Quran and resigned because of differences withRajiv Gandhi on this issue. Khan joined theJanata Dal and was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989. During theJanata Dal rule Khan served as Union Minister ofMinistry of Civil Aviation. He left theJanata Dal to join theBahujan Samaj Party and again entered the Lok Sabha in 1998 fromBahraich. Khan held ministerial responsibilities from 1984 to 1990. In 2004, he joined theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha election that year fromKaiserganj constituency. Later BJP appointed Arif as the Governor of Kerala and later was appointed as the Governor of Bihar.
Journalist Sanjay Kapoor, in his book "Bad Money, Bad Politics" has claimed that Khan received an amount of 7 crores ofHawala money. As per the CBI charge sheet, he was accused of being paid this amount of money when he was Union Minister, but he was later acquitted in the case.[8]
Arif Mohammad Khan has always supported reformation within Muslims.[9] He resigned from position of Minister of state protesting against Rajiv Gandhi Congress Government stand on Shah Bano case in 1986.[10] He defended Supreme Court judgement onShah Bano case in Parliament.[11][12] Khan opposedtriple talaq in India and said that pronouncement of divorce by Muslim men in such manner should be punishable by 3 years in jail.[13] Khan has asserted that Muslim men are still allowed to be polygamous and can also give a divorce easily by paying paltry sums.[14]
Khan welcomed the Karnataka High Court's judgement upholding that thehijab is not an essential garment according toIslam during the2022 Karnataka hijab row, stating that enforcing the wearing of a hijab is a conspiracy to push back Muslim females into the four walls of their homes and reduce their career prospects - he gave an example of imagining a femaleIPS officer who is responsible for controlling law and order in a district, who cannot do so wearing a hijab.[15][16]
On being asked for a reaction about themurder of Kanhaiya Lal inUdaipur by reporters, Khan responded thatmadrasas teach thatblasphemy should be punished by beheading and demanded that what is taught there should be examined.[17]
Khan has been deeply involved in writing since his student days. He is the author of the best-selling book of the year 2010Text and Context: Quran and Contemporary Challenges, published by Rupa & Co.[18] Now Arif Mohammad Khan is actively involved in writing articles and columns related to Islam andSufism.[19] He has advocated abolishing of All India Muslim Personal Law Board.[10] Arif Mohammad Khan also supported theSupreme Court of India's Mohd. Ahmed Khan v. Shah Bano Begum to make the right to maintenance of a divorced Muslim wife absolute.[20][21]
Khan was appointed theGovernor of Kerala on 1 September 2019 by the order of thePresident of India,Ram Nath Kovind. He took charge as Governor on 6 September 2019 fromP. Sathasivam he continued in office till 2 January 2025. He was appointed as the Governor of Bihar in 24 December 2024 in which he took oath on 2 January 2025.[22][23] The political controversy regarding the appointment of vice-chancellors of backgrounds from SFI/CPIM to the universities of Kerala had put him in the spotlight.[24] He wasn't given a proper farewell by the Kerala state government owing to various controversies between the office of the governor and the government. His farewell wasn't attended by the Chief MinisterPinarayi Vijayan nor any of the cabinet ministers.[25]
Khan was appointed by the president as theGovernor of Bihar on 24 December 2024,[1] and assumed office on 2 January 2025.
| S. No. | From | To | Position | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1977 | 1980 | MLA (1st term) in 7th UP assembly fromSyana | Janata Party |
| 2. | 1980 | 1984 | MP (1st term) in 7th Lok Sabha fromKanpur | INC |
| 3. | 1984 | 1989 | MP (2nd term) in 8th Lok Sabha fromBahraich | INC |
| 4. | 1989 | 1991 | MP (3rd term) in 9th Lok Sabha fromBahraich | Janata Dal |
| 5. | 1998 | 1999 | MP (4th term) in 12th Lok Sabha fromBahraich | BSP |
| 6. | 2019 | 2025 | Governor of Kerala | None |
| 7. | 2025 | Present | Governor of Bihar | None |
| Lok Sabha | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forKanpur 1980 – 1984 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBahraich 1984 – 1991 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBahraich 1998 – 1999 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Kerala 6 September 2019 – 2 January 2025 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Bihar 2 January 2025 – present | Incumbent |
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| New and Renewable Energy | |||||||||||||
| Ministry of Coal | |||||||||||||
| Petroleum and Natural Gas |
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| Department of Atomic Energy |
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| International | |
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| National | |
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