IIM-Bangalore to file affidavit today

Plea in Supreme Court to reject fee cut order

The Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, (IIM-B) has finalised the content of the affidavit it will file in the Supreme Court today, clarifying its stand on the fee cut order of the human resources development (HRD) ministry.

The affidavit, finalised in New Delhi yesterday by senior advocate CS Vaidyanathan, was approved by IIM-B Director Prakash Apte.

The affidavit, which rejects the HRD ministry's fee cut order of February 5, will be filed before the apex court today morning.

The IIM-B director was in Delhi yesterday to complete the formalities before filing the affidavit.

"We are filing the affidavit before the SC to clarify our position on the fee cut issue and the affidavit says the order may damage IIM-B's financial position and also its autonomy. The affidavit, having contributions from all our stakeholders including the Faculty Council and the Board members, has been finalised today," Apte told Business Standard over telephone.

Meanwhile, there seems to be a split in the Board of Governors of IIM-Lucknow over the decision of the institute to follow the ministry's order.

It has been learnt that Hari Shankar Singhania, chairman of the IIM-Lucknow board, and a few others have expressed their disagreement over the fee cut order.

This is in complete variance to the views of IIM-Lucknow Director Devi Singh, who is expected to clarify the institute's stand in favour of the ministry's order in response to the notice served to it by the Supreme Court. However, Singh and Singhania could not be reached for their comments.

Yesterday, the board of IIM-Ahmedabad filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court stating that the Centre's decision to cut fees could encroach on its autonomy.

In an almost simultaneous action, the faculty council of IIM-Calcutta filed an application before the court for impleading it as a respondent in the ongoing public interest litigation against the fee cuts.