IIM Ahmedabad Tells Gujarat HC that it will Implement Reservation in PhD Program; Check Details Here

New Delhi: After previously opposing reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes, as well as disabled candidates, the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, has stated that it has "voluntarily taken a decision to provide for reservations in the PhD program as well."

The position was expressed in a September 2, 2023 affidavit filed in the Gujarat High Court in reference to a public interest litigation case brought in 2021 by Anil Wagde on behalf of the Global IIM Alumni Network.

However, IIM Ahmedabad claimed that it was facing an "uphill task" in determining a system to ensure that the reservation would result in "no discrimination to anyone." The institution also stated that "the best suitable methodology is likely to take some time and that appropriate reservations will be provided in due course, but no date was specified”.

According to the affidavit, the IIM opted to provide such a reserve even though "as such in law, there is no requirement" for it to do so, given that the PhD programmes are super-specialized.

"An internal committee of faculty members is being formed at IIM Ahmedabad to work out a reservation methodology. Given the unusual conditions and the long-standing practise of admitting 2 to 3 applicants in each area of PhD degrees, the committee faces an uphill battle in providing a competent methodology. IIM Ahmedabad makes every effort to ensure that no one is discriminated against while providing reservation," read the document, which was filed through chief administrative officer Colonel Amit Verma.

According to the PIL petition, not offering reservation in the PhD course, which began in 1971, constituted a "gross violation" of constitutional provisions, the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, and University Grants Commission rules. According to the report, at least 15 of the 20 IIMs offer reservation in such programmes.

Previously, the IIM stated in a November 2022 affidavit that reservation in the doctoral programme "could be counterproductive and might also lead to injustice to other eligible meritorious students and that for a high-level specialised course such as PhD, it is in the larger public interest that reservation is not provided."

Read More: 

• IIT Madras, IIM Ahmedabad Incubated Startup To Train One Lakh Tamil Nadu Engineering Students; Check Details Here

• IIM Ahmedabad Alumni Urge Director to Implement Reservation Policy; Check Details Here

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