The IIT (ISM) has suspended as many as 214 of its students over non-payment of the monsoon semester fees or registration fees, announcing the decision in a December 9 notification. The list includes 13 students from B.Tech, 32 from M.Tech, research scholars, and several others from MBA and dual degree programmes.

The notification, issued by Dean of Academics Dr Chirenjeevi Kumar, however has a provision for the students to appeal for their reinstatement. They can fill up a special application form available on the academic page of the website of the institute.

“The result of the monsoon semester of the terminated students would be released only if their appeal for reinstatement is approved by senate,” read the notification, which also carried the names of terminated students with details of their academic programmes.

JK Patnaik, the Deputy Director of IIT (ISM), told The Telegraph Online, “Majority of the terminated students included research scholars. Of these are 115 Junior Research Fellows and 43 PhD students. All necessary formalities, including sending of repeated reminders for the students, have been followed before terminating them.”

In August this year, students of the institute joined those of other IITs in a campaign, demanding the reduction of fees in view of the economic hit faced by most families due to Covid-19.

IITians had sent messages on Twitter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal with a hashtag “#reduce_IIT_semesterFee”.

“Aren’t all affected by Covid 19 have been demanding significant reduction in the fee..,” a tweet reads.

“Our parents have lost jobs and they pay my major margins. We beseech the public educational institutions to conduct a deferral/cancellation of the fees for this semester,” says another, sent by an IIT (ISM) student.

The institute had waived off hostel charges to some extent, apart from reducing other fees in view of the economic constraints faced by families due to the pandemic. However, the students had demanded further reduction of their semester fees, with many of them not submitting them. Several others were unable to pay registration charges.