Apex court to hear PIL today

The Supreme Court may tomorrow take a decision on whether the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) will be made party to the public interest litigation (PIL) against the human resources development (HRD) ministry's fee-cut order, which is pending before it. It might also decide whether the Faculty Council of IIM-Calcutta can be impleaded in the case.

While of IIM-Ahmedabad Director Bakul Dholakia left for Delhi late this evening, IIM-Bangalore Director Prakash Apte is already camping there. IIM-Lucknow Director Devi Singh, IIM-Indore Director SP Parashar, IIM-Kozhikode Director Krishna Kumar and IIM-Calcutta Director Shekhar Choudhury also are expected to be there.

IIM-Lucknow Chairman HP Singhania and IIM-Calcutta Chairman YC Deveshwar also are expected to be present at the court tomorrow.

A few members of the faculty council of IIM- Calcutta will also be present at the court.

While the IIM-Kozhikode and IIM-Lucknow boards have agreed to go by the ministry's order, IIM-Indore has decided to wait for the court order on the issue. On Tuesday, the IIM-Ahmedabad board had filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court stating that the Centre's decision to cut fees could encroach on its autonomy. And today, IIM-Bangalore also filed an affidavit before the apex court rejecting the same order.

Meanwhile, it has been reliably learnt that a team of advocates representing the IIM-Calcutta board will be present at the court tomorrow. They will be there to seek the impleadment of the institute in the case. On Tuesday, the faculty council of IIM-Calcutta had filed an  application before the court for impleading it as a respondent in the ongoing PIL. The faculty members and the board of IIM-Calcutta are sharply divided on the issue.