http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Editorial/Bullying_the_IIMs_All_eyes_on_todays_SC_ruling/articleshow/1940578.cms
Bullying the IIMs: All eyes on today's SC ruling TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ MONDAY, APRIL 23, 2007 01:50:53 AM] Under pressure from the HRD ministry, the IIMs have decided not to issue admission letters on April 21 (Saturday). The ministry has told them to wait till further orders. On April 23, the Supreme Court will hear the government's plea to vacate its stay on 27% reservation in central educational institutions. Legally the government is in the right. The bigger IIMs are financially independent, but they are in the same relationship to the government as ONGC is to the petroleum ministry. And just as ONGC sometimes experiences the deleterious impact of government ownership it is now the turn of the IIMs. The world-wide prestige which these business schools enjoy is obviously of no consequence to the HRD ministry, ever since it assumed its self-appointed role as the bearer of a pro-quota ideology. It's not clear what would happen if the apex court refuses to vacate its stay on Monday. Would the HRD ministry put the entire process on hold till the Supreme Court comes out with a final verdict months later? That seems unlikely but given the hysteria which has gripped the political class nothing can be ruled out. One can only hope that the government as a whole will rein in the HRD ministry. The ministry's cussedness is all the more difficult to understand since the IIMs have said they are willing to come out with two lists. The first list would proceed on the assumption of no OBC quotas. If the Supreme Court does vacate its stay in a reasonable time frame, then a second list incorporating the OBC quota would be issued. All students, including those in the OBC category, need to have some certainty about their academic future. If the admission process is delayed till, say, the middle of May, then students eligible for the IIMs would have to seek admission to other business schools. If they later opt for the IIMs they would have to quit these institutions. That in turn creates cascading uncertainties for students seeking admission to other business schools. Monday's proceedings in the apex court should hopefully bring more clarity. And if the stay is not vacated then the ministry should let the process go ahead. In the longer run IIMs autonomy should have legal backing.
