PIL filed on IIM fee structure

New Delhi: A public interest litigation has been filed in the Supreme Court against the Union Government and Union HRD Minister, Dr Murali Manohar Joshi on the government's decision to cut fees of Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), alleging it "mala fide" and taken "with an eye on the vote bank." The petitioners have asked the apex court to immediately put a stay on the order passed on February 5, 2004.

The petition alleged that the Minister for HRD, Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, " in issuing the impugned order acted malafide in that he wants to gain control over these world class institutions by destroying their autonomy and by making them financially dependent on the government."

The writ petition was filed yesterday in the Supreme Court by a group of citizens,
Mr Sandeep Parekh (chartered accountant and visiting faculty of IIM Ahmedabad), Saiket Sengupta (student of IIM Ahmedabad) and Anis Mathew (student of IIM Bangalore and working for a business processes outsourcing (BPO) company engaged in equity research. They have made both Union government as well as Mr Joshi as respondents.

Urging the court to take immediate action against the order, the petitioners have said that unless the court intervenes "there is a serious possibility that the educational institutions of higher learning and with it the future of the country could be irreversibly harmed for the personal benefit of the vote bank of specific person."

"Such malafide action should not be allowed for even a short period of time as it will result in grave injury to a vast number of persons and institutions. No injury will be caused to respondents if the stay on the impugned order is allowed. The balance of convenience is entirely in favour of the petitioners," it said.

Expecting that "unilateral diktats" may alienate the qualified faculty of IIMs, the petition said: "IIMs are facing a shortage of qualified faculty. There is a high possibility that a part of the existing faculty would leave either for private institutions or to foreign universities for teaching. In such an event the institution, which is composed of outstanding students and faculty, would be damaged beyond repair."