IIM directors to discuss quota issue today

The directors of all the six Indian Institutes Management (IIMs) are meeting tomorrow in the wake of Supreme Court hearing on April 23 on the government's application seeking vacation of stay on implementation of 27 per cent OBC reservation in institutes of higher education.

Refusing to divulge the venue of the meeting, sources in the IIMs said a meeting would certainly take place to decide on the issue. One official of the Union HRD Ministry may also be present at the meeting.

Asked whether the proposed meeting would decide on postponing its April 21 deadline for announcing the final list, they said it could be decided at the meeting or each IIM could do so independently.

The government is of the view that IIMs should not go ahead with the admission process for the coming academic session from April 21.Sources in the HRD ministry said the responsible people running the elite institutions would act in the national interest.

Under intense support from its allies particularly DMK and PMK for implementing the quota regime from this academic year, the ministry had earlier told all the IIMs, IITs and other centrally-funded institutions to put on hold the admission process and not to issue offer of admission.

The directive from the ministry came after a meeting of leaders of UPA and Left parties which had resolved that the government would take all "appropriate" steps to ensure that the reservation for OBCs to the extent of 27 per cent becomes operational from this academic session.