JBIMS autonomy: 39 management aspirants from Maharashtra move SC

The aspirants, who graduated from the University of Mumbai (MU), were admitted to JBIMS under the 70% home university quota.

Thirty-nine management aspirants from the state, who risk losing their seats in Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), following the Bombay high court’s (HC) verdict to declare the institute an autonomous institute, have moved Supreme Court (SC)to challenge the lower court’s judgment.

Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management (Hindustan Times Photo)

The aspirants, who graduated from the University of Mumbai (MU), were admitted to JBIMS under the 70% home university quota. However, with JBIMS being considered as an autonomous college in a fresh admission process, these aspirants are facing stiffer competition, as there are no seats reserved for home university candidates.

“We were admitted to the college without any information [about the plea to treat JBIMS as an autonomous institute] and our admissions were suddenly cancelled. In our petition, we have requested the SC to stay the new admission process and continue with the old one. JBIMS was never an autonomous institute,” said a petitioner from the city.

On July 25, the Bombay HC had asked the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) to treat JBIMS, which has 120 seats, as an autonomous institute and rework on all admissions after nine students, who graduated from varsities other than MU, had challenged the decision to retain JBIMS’s status as a non-autonomous institute. The students argued that it deprived them of admission to the “prestigious” institute, as 70% seats in a non-autonomous institute are reserved for its home university.

The state common entrance test (CET) cell has now postponed the first allotment list of the revised admission process to Friday.“The schedule is extended to avoid any confusion among students. After the matter is heard on Friday, we will carry the process as per the court’s directives,” said Subhash Mahajan, chairman, admission committee (technical education), CET cell.