The terms of the three directors Bakul Dholakia, Prakash Apte and Shekhar Chaudhuri end in two to three months and the HRD ministry is clearly muscling in on the appointment process which is usually the prerogative of the individual institutes.

The tenure of an IIM director is usually five years and the institutes have a four-decade-long tradition of selecting directors through search committees comprising eminent academics, Central and state government representatives and industry captains. Applications are never called for. However, the ad released by the HRD ministry on Tuesday says applicants for the directors' posts need to contact Delhi.

The public notice in Tuesday's edition of a national newspaper says: ``Curriculum vitae with detailed educational and professional qualifications and experience should be sent to deputy secretary, department of higher education, HRD ministry.''

Another Blow To Automy? Decision can deepen IIM-HRD divide
The HRD ministry's move to call for applications to the post of directors for the Indian Institute of Managements in Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Kolkata has taken the institute's bosses by surprise. ``I too am seeing such an appointment advertisement for an IIM director for the first time. The directors are appointed by the governing council of each institutes,'' said Apte, IIM-B director.

Ever since the IIMs were set up, the governing council of each institute has followed the practice of creating its own search committee to look for a director; the name of the selected candidate is eventually sent to the ministry for clearance, although the process is a mere formality. A senior professor from IIM-A said he too was taken aback by the advertisement but was unaware of the plan.

The HRD ministry's decision could deepen the divide between the IIM bosses and the government over the manner in which the premier management institutes are being run.

This academic year saw a somewhat bitter debate over the 27% Other Backward Category quota's implementation. The IIM directors had turned down the ministry's proposal to delay admissions until a Supreme Court ruling on the issue.