Bhubaneswar: Students of IIM, Sambalpur’s MBA-Business Analytics 2025-27 batch, who have moved the Delhi high court over alleged lack of basic infrastructure at the institute’s Delhi satellite campus, will have their petition heard on Sept 18.The students approached the court in July, alleging that the Delhi campus did not provide several basic infrastructural and institutional facilities they were promised when they enrolled in the flagship programme.The students said they had joined the programme at IIM, Sambalpur’s main campus after being informed that the first term would be held in Sambalpur and the remaining terms at a satellite campus in Delhi. But when they moved to Delhi, they claimed that they found the campus was little more than two rented classrooms, without the infrastructure and institutional environment they had expected from an IIM.Their petition also raises concerns over accommodation. According to the court order, the hostel provided to the students lacked basic facilities and was around 5km from the institute. The students said that when they raised concerns and sought facilities they believed they were entitled to as students of the programme, the institute subsequently issued show-cause notices to them.Seeking a shift of their batch to IIM, Sambalpur’s main campus for the remaining fourth, fifth and sixth terms, the students have also sought a refund or proportionate adjustment of Rs 6.3 lakh per student. They cited what they described as shortcomings in infrastructure, residential facilities, academic delivery, placement exposure and the overall institutional ecosystem.The students have also sought protection from any coercive or punitive action for raising their grievances, including safeguards against adverse academic, placement-related, administrative or disciplinary action while the case is pending.While considering their plea for interim protection on July 27, Justice Jasmeet Singh observed that the students were “very much within their rights” to seek good infrastructure for completing a programme of the stature of an IIM. The court said their demands, prima facie, could not be termed unreasonable and observed that the show-cause notices “prima facie seems to be an arm-twisting tactic.”The court has sought responses from the institute and its satellite campus. The matter will come up for hearing on Sept 18. The students have meanwhile sought professionally managed temporary accommodation at the institute’s cost until their grievances are resolved.IIM, Sambalpur’s director, Mahadeo Jaiswal, however, rejected the allegations and termed them motivated. He said the students had already spent a year at the Delhi satellite campus and were provided all the facilities. “This is the first batch of the MBA-Business Analytics programme and these allegations are being made by just two to three students, not the entire batch. As per the admission rules, we cannot shift them to the Sambalpur campus. We will, however, wait for the high court’s ruling before taking any decision,” Jaiswal said.
