SC asks IIMs to come to court, Murthy panel for HRD peace talks

Two Months after the IIM autonomy controversy was triggered by a government proposal to slash fees, the Supreme Court today invited the six IIMs to appear on April 16 and give their views on a PIL against the order.

But the IIMs have still not been impleaded as parties. They have only been issued notices on an impleadment application filed by the petitioners.

Though the PIL was revived last month after the Government declined to give an undertaking on maintaining autonomy, the bench headed by Chief Justice V N Khare has kept open the possibility of dismissing the petition without going into its merits.

For, the bench made it a point even at this belated stage to reiterate its doubts about the locus standi of the petitioners. It directed the petitioners - a visiting faculty, a current student and ex-student of IIM Ahmedabad - to address their arguments on this.