IIT Bombay ends long-standing practice of sharing category data with recruiters

IIT Bombay has halted the practice of collecting and sharing students' category details with Public Sector Units (PSUs), the institute confirmed in a response to a complaint filed by IIT Kanpur alumnus Dheeraj Singh. The move comes after Singh raised concerns about alleged discriminatory practices in campus placements in 2023.

According to IIT Bombay’s placement office, the practice of sharing category details ended in 2024. Singh had earlier approached the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), objecting to what he called unfair treatment in placement processes.

In January, the NCSC urged IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, and the Ministry of Education to submit an action taken report within 15 days on the alleged discrimination in campus placements.

“When the PSUs recruit students, their personnel verify the birth category documents for positions reserved for certain birth categories. The placement office is not involved in the process of collecting the data,” IIT Bombay clarified in its response.

The institute admitted, however, that it had previously collected and shared category-related information with recruiters.

Singh, who filed his complaint in November, alleged that some IIT placement offices enabled discriminatory practices by recruiters through such profiling. His concerns have sparked wider debate about fairness and transparency in campus placements.