New Delhi, February 15
The Supreme Court will hear tomorrow a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the Union Human Resource Development Ministry’s directive to drastically cut the fees of the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs).
The petitioners have pleaded the Supreme Court to strike down the February 5 decision of the HRD ministry, contending that this was a blatant attempt to gain control over these professional institutions.
The ministry has rebutted these allegations and maintained that this decision has been taken after considering a recent Supreme Court order and recommendations of the U.R. Rao Review Committee that went into the issue.
In a related development, the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the IIM-A, Mr N.R. Narayanamurthy, and Hindustan Lever chief M.S. Banga met Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee here yesterday and sought his intervention to roll back the decision to slash fees.
Mr Narayanamurthy and Mr Banga are understood to have urged Mr Vajpayee to reconsider the decision on the ground that at a time when subsidies are being eliminated, the reduction of fees would harm the reforms process as it would amount to paying for elite education.
