New Delhi: The IIM (Indian Institute of Management) fee-cut issue was kept on the boil when the Supreme Court today (Mar 12, 2004) gave a week's time to the Centre to clarify its stand on the commitment not to interfere with the functioning of the prestigious business schools and to provide adequate funds in view of the drastic reduction of the admission fee from Rs 1.5 lakhs to Rs 30,000.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice V N Khare, Justice S B Sinha and Justice S H Kapadia gave time till March 19 to Additional Solicitor General Mukul Rohtagi in view of an application, seeking recording of the Government's stand.

The application filed by Sandeep Parikh and two others said the Court had on February 27 disposed of their PIL (Public Interest Litigation) on the assurance of the Centre that the fee reduction did not amount to interference in the functioning of the six IIMs and that it would make good the shortfall in the funds due to fee cut.

Terming the application as "malafide", Rohtagi stated that it was a clear stand from the Government on the basis of which the Court had disposed of the PIL and that the petitioners were raking up the issue again linking the decision to the autonomy of the institutes.

He said if the "autonomy" word was added to the undertaking, any decision taken by the Government vis-a-vis these business schools would result in contempt proceedings.

The Chief Justice said if the Government gave the undertaking not to interfere in the functioning of the IIMs, the Court would clarify that any future litigation on the issue of interference in the "autonomy" of the institutes would have to be agitated before appropriate forums as a separate litigation.