IIM-C faculty plea pulls up board members

The Faculty Council of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, (IIM-C) in its application to the Supreme Court, came down heavily on the institute's Board of Governors and the human resources development ministry's recent decisions on various aspects of the IIMs.

The move by the faculty members of IIM-C comes a week after YC Deveshwar, chairman of the Board of Governors of the institute, decided to accept the human resources development (HRD) ministry order to slash its fees.

The faculty, which had expressed its opposition to the chairman's decision, said its application before the court was independent of those which might be made by the board.

"It is submitted that the faculty would like to make representations independent from those which may be made by the Board of Governors, because it appears that many members of the Board are not exercising their independent judgment in the interest of the institute. It has, therefore, become incumbent upon the faculty to take up the interest of the institute, its faculty and its current and future students," the Council said.

The faculty not only challenged the legality of the board meeting on March 26, in which the fee cut issue was discussed but questioned the claim of Deveshwar that he had been authorised by the board to take a decision in this regard.

"Recently some actions on the part of the HRD Ministry have generated apprehensions that an attempt is being made to encroach upon the autonomy the institutes enjoy," it said.

IIM-A to use Rs 30,000 till SC ruling

The Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, (IIM-A) has decided to ask students coming for the new academic session to deposit Rs 158,350 as fees for the year, but it will only use Rs 30,000 till the Supreme Court rules on the case pending before it or the ministry revises its order issued on February 5.