Two more IIMs join the fight

Faculty members of IIM-C and IIM-B rally behind IIM-A

While IIM-Calcutta has come out with a 40-page white paper detailing the pros and cons of the fee cut and its impact, the faculty council at IIM-Bangalore has passed a resolution against the ministry's order.

The white paper and the resolution will be tabled before the respective boards on March 27. The IIM-A board will meet on April 3 to consider the resolution passed by its faculty council.

IIM-A Society members had yesterday openly criticised the ministry's joint secretary V S Pandey and financial adviser V Piparsania for threatening to dismiss the society.

Our Economic Bureau adds: The human resources development ministry today stuck to its stand that the IIM-A board did not have the powers to slash fees.

Pandey told reporters today that as per the memorandum of association that defined the clauses regarding autonomy, fee structure and connected bye-laws, all decisions could be taken only by the society and not by the board.

Though the IIM fee cut controversy is slated to be heard by the Supreme Court tomorrow, Pandey denied that his statements about the government superseding any legal recourse was an infringement on fundamental rights. While individuals were free to opt for any legal recourse, the society could not resort to legal action, he said.

He, however, refused to comment on why the discrepancy regarding illegal fee hikes had not been pointed out by the government in the last 40 years.

Pandey had threatened at yesterday's meeting that the ministry could direct the society to deposit all the fee increases in the last 40 years with the government.

He said the undertaking sought by the petitioners was not different from the February 27 order, which stated that "the directions issued by the central government for reduction of fee shall not be construed as interference in the autonomy and appropriate funds will also be provided to those institutions".

He stressed that the members of the society were inadequately informed and no resolution could be passed in such a situation.