New Delhi, Feb 10: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Supreme Court today, challenging the recent order of the Human Resource Development Ministry, reducing the fee charged by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) from Rs 1.5 lakhs to Rs 30,000 per annum per student. The order issued on February 2, 2004, will come into force from the academic year 2004-2005.

Filing the petition, Sandeep Paresh, contended that the IIMs spend about Rs four lakhs per student in a year, but they charge only Rs 1.5 lakh as fee because 60 per cent of it is subsidised.
Terming the reduction in the fee as an election gimmick to garner votes, the petitioner sought quashing of the impugned order reducing the fee charged by the IIMs.

The petition is likely to come up for hearing next week.
Bureau Report