In a clear signal that the Government is determined to challenge the stay order on OBC quotas delivered by the two-judge bench of the Supreme Court, the University Grants Commission has asked all higher educational institutions — public and private — to refund fees and return original academic certificates to students if they decide to opt out to join any other institution.

This is aimed at private management and engineering institutions which are expected to attract students who, given the uncertainty over IIM/IIT results, may decide to join these private institutions rather than keep waiting.

A top HRD ministry source told The Indian Express that IIMs have been asked to keep their results pending till “further orders.”

Private management institutions, including UGC and AICTE-recognised institutions, which have declared their results or have begun their admission processes, will be asked to abide by the government’s orders or else their recognition can be cancelled, Higher Education Secretary R P Agarwal confirmed to The Indian Express.

These two apex regulatory bodies in the higher education sector have passed on the HRD ministry’s orders to all higher-educational institutions under their jurisdiction.

The move comes after IIMs expressed two concerns: one, they will lose out on the best of students and, two, the students will face a heavy monetary loss to the tune of Rs 10 to Rs 14 lakh — the fees charged by some of the premier private institutions.

The government has allowed these institutions to keep a sum of Rs 1,000 and return the remaining sum — deposited as fees — to students if they opt out.

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