New Delhi, June 11
The ongoing confrontation between the Government and IITs over the proposed common engineering entrance test (CET) from 2013 grew deeper today with HRD Ministry hitting back at the rebelling institutes to say that the IIT Council was supreme under the law and IIT Senates were not autonomous in admission-related matters.

Ministry sources hinted that IIT Kanpur Senate’s May 8 resolution rejecting the Council’s May 28 decision on CET and resolving to hold a separate test was unlawful. IIT Delhi, Kharagpur, and Bombay Senates are expected to go the Kanpur way in their respective meetings that are awaited.

But the Ministry today cited the IIT Act of 1961 to say that the IIT Senates were “neither autonomous nor had absolute rights in academic matters, and that the IIT Council was exclusively empowered to set admission standards.”

As per the law, IIT Senates can frame admission-related Ordinances but Board of Governors of each IIT can cancel or modify these, officials said, forewarning IIT Senates against rejecting the CET which was the Council’s decision and thus supreme and binding in Ministry’s understanding. “A cumulative reading and harmonious construction of various Sections of the Act reveals that the BOG of each IIT has power of superintendence over its Senate. The Senate is neither autonomous nor has unfettered rights even in the matters of academic concerns of the Institute. It is the IIT Council, rather than the Senate, who is empowered to set admission standards. Senate of IIT Kanpur has accepted this by framing its Ordinances so have other IITs ,” HRD officials said.

They questioned IIT faculty’s “academic autonomy” claim saying the Act didn’t even task the Senates with setting admission standards.

“Senate functions don’t include the area of academic standards. That’s the exclusive domain of IIT Council whose duty is to coordinate the activities of all IITs and advise them on admission standards. Even if the Council advice is disregarded (as IIT Kanpur did), Council’s duties continue,” officials said. The Act envisages three statutory bodies for IITs — IIT Council (which makes policies and has all IIT Directors among members), IIT BOG (supervises each IIT and has institute and industry representatives) and IIT Senate (IIT faculty body). Each IIT has a BOG and Senate; Council is common to all and is chaired by the incumbent HRD Minister, Kapil Sibal presently.

On the Council, Section 33 of the Act says, “IIT Council shall advise IITs on duration of courses, admission standards and other academic matters.”

On Senates, Section 15 says, “IIT Senate shall have the control, and be responsible for maintenance of standards of education and examination in the IIT.”