The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi has issued an official statement clarifying that it has no association with Anuradha Tiwari and does not support her claim that a data science course being offered in collaboration with the institute has “no reservation.”
The institute also warned of “appropriate action” against the spread of false or misleading information.
“IIT Mandi has no association with Ms. Anuradha Tiwari and does not endorse her claims on reservation. The institute strictly follows all GoI norms regarding reservation and will take appropriate action against those spreading false or misleading information,” the institute posted on X (formerly Twitter).
What happened?
The controversy began after Anuradha Tiwari, a content-marketing entrepreneur, claimed that she had partnered with IIT Mandi to launch a nine-month, skill-based course in artificial intelligence (AI) and data science.
She further claimed that the course would offer merit-based scholarships and no reservation, and shared screenshots suggesting that IIT Mandi had asked her to include this language in promotional material.
Following the institute's public denial, Tiwari doubled down on her claims and challenged IIT Mandi to pursue legal action.
“I dare IIT Mandi to sue me if there was any misinformation. Sue me in court for 1 crore–– if you have guts!” she wrote on X.
Tiwari also posted a screenshot of the ‘Minor in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science’ course offered by the Centre for Continuing Education (CCE) at IIT Mandi, which she says is still available on the institute’s website. She pointed out that no mention of reservation is made on the course page and urged the public to verify this for themselves.
In her most recent posts, Tiwari stated that she is working to create skill-based programmes for general category students, aiming to build what she called a “self-reliant open category community.”
The institute, however, maintains that it is fully committed to following the reservation policies of the Government of India and has reiterated that it does not endorse any claims to the contrary.