IIM-C conducted interviews for OBCs; SC to hear transfer petition

The Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta moved ahead with the interviews scheduled on Thursday for the OBC students against the Calcutta High Court order, but reiterated to honour the order by withholding results.

The interviews were conducted for not delaying the admission process in future after the stalemate over implementation of 27 percent quota for OBCs was sorted out.

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The induction of OBC students under quota in the current batch could be carried out in time once the institute get instructions from the Centre or the court in near future, said a IIM-C official. Further IIM-C said by restricting the results of the interviews it did not violate the High Court order.

Moreover, the IIM-C admissions chairperson Subrata Mitra denied from getting any HC order regarding staying interviews. Mitra said he came to know of the HC order after getting the related letter sent by the petitioner's advocate. He said the management had already decided not displaying the results of the interviews. In case of getting no any instruction from the HRD Ministry or the HC, IIM-C will commence the current session from the third week of June with general category, SC and ST students.

Meanwhile the Supreme Court said to hear the petitions on Friday filed by the Centre challenging an interim order issued by the Calcutta High Court order on Wednesday staying the implementation of the 27 percent OBC quota for the current academic year of 2008-09.

G E Vahanvati representing the Centre in its petition said a constitution bench of the Supreme Court in its order dated April 10 held that the OBC quota of 27 percent excluding creamy layer among OBCs were valid.

In the petition it was mentioned that the Act was not invalid because there was no time limit prescribed for its operation. However, majority of the panel were of the view that review should be made at the end of five years to carry on its continuance.

The motive behind filing such petitions were none other than delaying the implementation of OBC quota in the ongoing process of admissions in central educational institutions as far as possible, the Centre said.

A constitutional SC Bench of five-member Judge headed by Justice K G Balakrishanan by its order on April 10 had allowed the Centre to proceed with its plan of implementing 27 percent quota excluding creamy layer among OBCs. Following which the HRD Ministry on April 20 directed the centrally run higher educational institutions including IIMs and IITs to implement 27 percent OBC quota from the current session of 2008-09.

The Centre said the present transfer petition was filed in the Supreme Court at the backdrop of similar petitions filed in the High Courts of Delhi, Calcutta and Madras and seeking an interim direction to suspend the order passed by the Calcutta HC so that the IIM-C could go ahead with the admission process.

On Wednesday the Calcutta High Court allowing the petition filed by Sayan Guha directed the IIM-C to put stay on conducting interviews till the fresh order. The petitioner claimed that the IIM-C was conducting interviews for OBC category students to implement 27 percent quota under the directives of HRD Ministry was against the Supreme Court order of April 10. The HC stayed the interviews till June 12 and directed all parties to file the affidavits within the mentioned date.