JEE row: IIT alumni to battle it out with govt

A direct confrontation between IITs and the Centre has shaped on the changed pattern of IIT-JEE. As a first step to register protest, a delegation is to meet the Prime Minister and a PIL may be filed. Vanita Srivastava reports.

Tempers are running high. A direct confrontation between IITs and the Centre has shaped on the changed pattern of IIT-JEE. As a first step to register protest, a PIL may be filed in a HC on Monday against the government’s decision.

Representatives of the Alumni Association and the All India IIT Faculty Federation, which met on Friday devised a three-pronged strategy to register protest.

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They have decided to lead a delegation to the PM and submit a memorandum raising their concern over the autonomy of the IITs. It was also decided to identify persons who could file petitions in different high courts against the government's decision in the next few days. The All India IIT Faculty Federation will prepare a rebuttal of the government’s decision shortly.

“We will lead a delegation to Prime Minister in the next few days and submit a memorandum. We are also looking for people who could file PIL in different high courts,” Somnath Bharti, president Delhi IIT Alumni Association and Supreme Court advocate said.

The IIT senates are also in a confrontation mood. Raising strong objection against the government's decision, IIT-K Faculty has described the new exam as counterproductive, unilateral, and arbitrary.

There are speculations that a motion could be raised against the Chairman of the IIT-Kanpur Senate who is also the director of the institute for ‘misguiding’ the Senate in the whole process. There are 210 senate members.

There was also a suggestion that IIT Kanpur should press for a separate exam if the government does not roll back its decision. Some faculty and senate members may also boycott the IIT-Kanpur convocation on Saturday to register their protest.