The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad has announced the introduction of a reservation policy for its PhD admissions, marking a significant change in its admission practices. This is the first time the renowned business school will offer quotas for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and persons with disabilities in its doctoral program, which has been in place since 1971.

The announcement was made through an online statement indicating that the "Govt of India guidelines for reservation are followed during admissions." Until now, IIM Ahmedabad did not reserve seats for under-represented communities in its PhD program, also known as the Fellow Programme in Management (FPM).

This change is considered a major achievement, especially following ongoing efforts by SC/ST activists and a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Global IIM Alumni Network in the Gujarat High Court in 2021. Reports indicate that while 10 other IIMs had already adopted the quota system for their doctoral programs, IIM Ahmedabad had not. In response to the PIL, IIM Ahmedabad submitted an affidavit in October 2023, pledging to implement the reservation policy for the 2025 intake.

Activists, including Anil Wagde, Suraj Yengde, and Arun Khobragade, began their campaign in 2017 after discussions with former director Errol D'Souza. Wagde noted, "At the time, they had no quantification of how many from these classes made it to IIM-A. You cannot control what you cannot measure. We thus filed a PIL, pointing out the violation of constitutional provisions, the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, and UGC norms."

Wagde, an alumnus of IIM Calcutta, expressed his approval of the announcement, calling it a significant victory. He added, "We hope IIM-A keeps its word. We will monitor the process and will seek details of the admission once the process is complete." However, specific details regarding the implementation of the quota system have yet to be released by IIM Ahmedabad.

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