‘Autonomy Snatched’: Revised ISI Bill faces opposition in council; academics reject new MoSPI draft

ISI Bill Debate : A large section of members of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) council has rejected the revised draft of the ISI Bill, said sources who attended a meeting with the representatives of the ministry of statistics and programme implementation (MoSPI), held this week. The council, as well as the ISI Kolkata community at large, want to know why the society structure of the institutions is being disturbed at all.

India’s original institution for data science and data analytics, the ISI functions as an autonomous institute under MoSPI. Late last year, the MoSPI drafted an Indian Statistical Institute Bill seeking to bring sweeping changes to how the institution – headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal, with branches across the country – is governed. The society would give way to statutory bodies; the large governing council to a much smaller and far less democratic decision-making body with scant representation from academics, and a final administrative structure resembling those of Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIM). After staunch opposition from ISI faculty and students , MoSPI revised the draft bill in November .

The revised draft ISI Bill was discussed in detail at the meeting, enabling members to examine its provisions carefully, said a senior faculty member who attended it.

During the discussion, several inconsistencies and inadequacies in the revised draft were pointed out, they said. Faculty members emphasised that ISI has functioned under its existing Act for more than five decades with institutional stability and academic excellence, and that any move to alter this structure must be justified with strong evidence.

“Unless there is a very, very compelling reason, there is no need to disturb the currently stable system,” a professor said. He added that there was no justification for pushing the institute into an atmosphere of uncertainty when its current functioning remains intact.

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Indian Statistical Institute: A ‘stable structure’

A recurring issue raised during the deliberations was the lack of clarity on why the existing society-based structure of ISI is being portrayed as problematic, said sources. Professors drew attention to prominent international institutions, such as the Max Planck Institute, Oxford University and Cambridge University, all of which operate under large societies with extensive voting memberships. A professor said, “such societies never obstruct the functioning or growth of excellence of the institute.”

One of the elected council members asked the ministry’s representatives whether there was any concrete instance in which the ISI society had slowed or obstructed the institute’s growth or long-term vision. According to those present, the ministry representatives were unable to cite any such instance. The society will complete a century in 2031.

One teacher also pointed out that the current governance framework already incorporates democratic accountability through elections, without interfering in the institute’s day-to-day academic or administrative work. They insisted that this balance should not be disturbed.

ISI Bill: IIT, IIM comparison

However, the ISI Bill has supporters too. Some centre heads, presenting a counter-view during the meeting, suggested that the ministry’s intention was to transform the existing ISI Council into a statutory Board of Governors with enhanced financial powers, thereby enabling faster and more independent decision-making.

This argument, however, was contested by several faculty members. The professor pointed out that even statutory bodies remain subject to higher-level approvals.

“Even ministries cannot sanction large-scale recruitment or positions without clearance from the department of expenditure and the finance ministry,” he said, adding that such powers are often recommendatory rather than absolute.

Comparisons with other Indian institutions were also questioned. Ministry representatives cited the governance structures adopted by the IITs and IIMs as models; both the premier engineering and management colleges are run under central laws enacted specifically for them. Faculty members argued that there is no conclusive evidence that IIMs have witnessed academic or institutional improvement after the law was enacted in 2017.

“On paper and in the media, in fact, the reverse is being reported,” the professor said. He further added, “The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru, widely regarded as the crown jewel of India’s academic system, does not operate under a corporate structure despite being comparable to ISI in academic orientation and salary parity.”

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ISI Academic Council’s autonomy fears

Serious reservations were expressed regarding the academic implications of the draft ISI bill. The professor said that the dean of studies informed the council about a special meeting of the Academic Council, comprising all professors of the institute, which unanimously resolved that the bill in its current form – the revised version – is unacceptable.

The Academic Council highlighted that the bill allows the proposed Board of Governors to initiate academic programmes or courses, overriding academic expertise. The professor said that the bill uses the terms “programme” and “course” interchangeably, creating ambiguity that could have far-reaching consequences. “It could so happen that the BoG asks us to introduce a particular course within an existing programme, even if it is academically unrelated,” he said.

Faculty members also objected to the composition of the proposed Board of Governors. Under the draft bill, most members would be nominated rather than elected, with only a small number representing the academic community. “Very few people are going to collectively make all academic and administrative decisions,” they said, arguing that this concentration of power contradicts claims of enhanced autonomy. “If you read the bill piece by piece, it looks appealing. But if you read it as a whole, you will see that autonomy is actually being snatched away.”

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ISI Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Tezpur

The implications for ISI’s regional centres – in Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Tezpur – were also discussed at length, a professor said. While some centre heads initially believed the new structure would grant them greater independence, a closer reading of the bill suggests otherwise, they said.

“Under the proposed framework, centre directors would be answerable to a management council, which in turn would report solely to the BoG, limiting the centres’ ability to make independent decisions on programmes or recruitment,” they explained.

Faculty members also questioned the haste with which the ISI bill was being advanced. The professor described the process as showing an “uncanny rush,” noting that the proposal was nearly placed before parliament without adequate discussion. They emphasised that ISI’s current operations remain fully functional and that even if the bill were eventually passed, it would take years to frame detailed rules and procedures.

“We said that until fresh deliberations on the bill are held and its revisions, in consultation with all stakeholders, fully converge, it should not be tabled in parliament,” the professor said. “Only when all revisions are complete and there is broad convergence, when it becomes meaningful, should it be placed before parliament. This is our humble submission to the ministry.”