On July 2, the academic staff and other employees at the premier Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) here anxiously stood outside the conference room of the new academic building where an Executive Council meeting was on.
The meeting was being chaired by Information and Broadcasting Secretary Bimal Julka, who also happens to be the chairperson of the institute. On the agenda was a move to introduce Central Civil Services Conduct Rules at the institute, a move which, academics say, will result in gagging the institute.
Since last October, a proposal from the I&B Ministry to introduce the Civil Services Conduct Rules at IIMC, a registered society under the Ministry, has been awaiting nod from the Executive Council, the highest decision-making body of the institute. According to the agenda papers with The Hindu , item number 5 — Code of Conduct for Employees of IIMC — was listed for discussion on July 2.
The Ministry’s rationale, according to the agenda notes, is as follows: “Jawaharlal Nehru University and Guru Gobind Singh IP University have codes of conduct which are based on the Central Civil Services Conduct Rules for teaching and non-teaching staff. Jamia Milia Islamia has a code of conduct for teachers which are more in the nature of a code of conduct for professional ethics.”
The note adds: “It is proposed that the Indian Institute of Mass Communication may also adopt the Central Civil Services Conduct Rules for its employees. The proposal is submitted to the Executive Council for consideration and approval.”
‘Preliminary talks’Sources at the institute said faculty representatives at the meeting protested the move which led to the decision to defer it till the next meeting. Besides Mr. Julka, the Executive Council has Sunit Tandon as Director General and 13 other members, as per the IIMC website. Sources in the Ministry said talks were in a preliminary stage and there was no finality to the move. The institute must have a roadmap, Ministry sources insist.
“It is under consideration that IIMC should align its conduct rules with those that prevail at most Central universities. However, the faculty has requested more time to study the matter and any decision in this regard would be taken subsequently,” Mr. Tandon said in response to an email.
Faculty upsetOn the other hand, those who are resisting the move say: “The rules, if passed, would bind the institute and prohibit them from expressing their opinion and critique on public policy and other relevant social, political and economic issues in the media.”
The teachers raise a more fundamental question. “The institute’s rules allow senior journalists and editors to apply for faculty positions. Do we then expect the journalist or editor to stop writing on issues?” a professor asked.
