AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court on Tuesday issued a notice to Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, (IIM-A) over a PIL seeking the benefits of the SC/ST and OBC quota for underrepresented communities in its doctoral programme.
The central authorities concerned have got the notice as well. The course in question was earlier known as the Fellow Programme in Management.
The Global IIM Alumni Network had filed a second PIL “in the interest of candidates from communities of Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes and persons with disabilities for admission in IIMA’s PhD programme”. The petitioner’s counsel submitted that the earlier litigation was disposed of because of nonprosecution, and said that the 303-day delay in filing the review application was not condoned by the high court. The lawyer submitted that the issue was not adjudicated in the earlier litigation, when the court had said that aggrieved persons can approach the court.
It was submitted that of the 20 IIMs in the country, 15 extend the benefits of reservation to SC/ST, OBC, and disabled candidates for similar doctoral programmes. However, the plea said, the doctoral programme at IIM-A, which began in 1971, does not have reservation for underrepresented communities.
The petitioner submitted that Section 3 of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006, provides for reservation in central institutes and the IIM Act makes IIM-A a central educational institution. IIM-A is bound to follow and implement the provisions of Article 15(5) of the Constitution and extend reservation to candidates belonging to underrepresented groups, the plea said.
The petitioner submitted that the admission process in IIM-A’s doctoral programme will end in January 2022 and demanded a stay on the admission procedure.
After a preliminary hearing, the bench of Chief Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice H M Prachchhak issued notices to the institute and authorities concerned. But the bench refused to stay the admission procedure, saying that the high court will not obstruct what has already commenced.
