(Lead)
By Prashant K. Nanda
New Delhi, April 10 (IANS) The six Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have decided to defer admission of fresh batches and wait for the central government direction on 27 percent reservation for other backward classes (OBCs) following the Supreme Court verdict Thursday. “We were going to announce the list of fresh batches within two days. But after the reservation development we are putting the exercise on hold,” IIM-Lucknow director Devi Singh told IANS.

“I had an interaction with the director of IIM-Ahmedabad and the decision to defer the admission process for the new batches is unanimous,” Devi Singh said.

The professor, however, said that they are “yet to receive any direction” from the human resource development (HRD) ministry.

“But we will wait and will rework a fresh list after the government order. The new list will respect the Supreme Court judgment and include students from the OBC segment of our society,” Devi Singh added.

He said the matter had been discussed with the (M. Veerappa) Moily committee that was set up by the HRD ministry to study the feasibility of 27 percent quotas.

“As per the discussion, IIMS will implement the quota in a phased manner. The implementation of the 27 percent quota will be completed by all the IIMs over three years beginning this year,” he said.

Over 1,500 students get admission into the six IIMs every year; the seventh IIM in Shillong will start functioning from the new academic session.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the law, passed unanimously by parliament in December 2006 to provide 27 percent quota for OBCs in government institutes of higher learning.

But the apex court has clarified that the ‘creamy layer’, or the elite, would be kept out.

Referring specifically to IIM-Lucknow, the director said the institute had developed the infrastructure over the last few years and did “not have any problem in taking some more students”.

“With reservation coming into effect, IIM Lucknow will take at least 45 more students during the upcoming session,” said Devi Singh, on a visit to the Noida campus of the institute.

IIM Lucknow had decided to take 330 students for its flagship MBA programme from the new academic session. With additional quotas a reality, the number of students will certainly go up.

J.J Irani, chairperson of the board of management, IIM Lucknow, said: “The Supreme Court has given the decision to implement 27 percent quota for OBC. Then we have to accept it.

“But the court also must define the creamy layer in the underprivileged section,” he said.