Quotas: As Govt prepares to go to SC, IIMA says hurry up, can’t wait

As the Government prepares to approach the Supreme Court, possibly as early as tomorrow, to seek vacation of the stay order on the 27 per cent OBC quotas in higher education...

As the Government prepares to approach the Supreme Court, possibly as early as tomorrow, to seek vacation of the stay order on the 27 per cent OBC quotas in higher education, the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) today sent the Centre the first reminder that time was running out and admissions for the new academic session could not be put off indefinitely. Echoing IIM-A, IIM-Bangalore said the delay in the admission process was causing “uncertainty among students”.

Critical of the Centre for not doing anything concrete even after the Supreme Court order, IIM-A director Bakul Dholakia made clear that the OBC reservation may not be possible this year if the government does not come out with a clear directive by April 21.

“We will be announcing the list of admission for the coming academic session by April 21. The admission list will be as per last year’s capacity. The institutes will wait for the government directive on the expanded intake to accommodate OBC quota rather than staying the entire admission process,” Dholakia told reporters.

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“We were to complete the admission process by today (April 12). But we have decided to wait and release the list by April 21. We cannot wait indefinitely,” Dholakia said, adding that the decision has been taken after consultation with all IIMs.

Dholakia said that the Union HRD ministry in its communication had asked the IIMs to withhold their admission process as Supreme Court had issued a stay on the implementation of the 27 per cent OBC quotas in Central institutions.

Asked if the IIMs were defying the HRD Ministry directive, Dholakia said: “It would have been ideal if some consultations were done with us (IIMs) before the government moved this circular”.

In Bangalore, IIM-B director Prakash G Apte too said delay in the admission process was causing uncertainty among students. “They (HRD Ministry) said put the admissions on hold. But they should have taken us into confidence, they should tell us what we should do now. We can’t wait indefinitely.”

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Apte, who said the six IIMs would move collectively on the issue of admissions, pointed out that if students get admission elsewhere and join IIM-B later— once the admission process starts —they stand to lose anywhere between Rs two lakh to Rs 10 lakh on account of fee paid in the institution where they took admission.

He said if the selection process is delayed, the “whole calendar” would be upset and students will suffer.