The Sadashivanagar police have registered a case against Infosys co-founder Senapathy Kris Gopalakrishnan and 17 members of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The case follows a private complaint filed by Professor D. Sanna Durgappa, a former faculty member of IISc’s Centre for Sustainable Technologies, alleging wrongful dismissal and caste-based abuse.
The complaint, filed by Durgappa, who belongs to the Bovi community (a Scheduled Caste), accuses the IISc members of orchestrating a fake honey-trap case in 2014 to terminate his employment. He also claims he was subjected to casteist abuse and threats during his tenure.
The professor approached the 71st City Civil and Sessions Court, which directed the jurisdictional police to register a case and investigate the matter. Following the court’s orders, the police registered the case on 27 January 2025.
As per an Indian Express report, Durgappa alleged he was falsely implicated in a honey trap case in 2014 after being accused of calling a married woman “beautiful.” The case was reviewed by the Sexual Harassment Complaints Committee (SHCC), which determined the term constituted harassment, leading to his termination. Durgappa argued the SHCC violated Supreme Court guidelines by lacking an NGO representative.
In 2017, a Karnataka Legislative Assembly SC/ST committee investigation found no evidence of harassment and stated Durgappa was targeted due to his Dalit identity. Despite this, he was not reinstated. Durgappa claims he sought reinstatement during meetings with the IISc director in 2017 and 2020 but instead faced threats of legal action. Following prolonged alleged caste-based mistreatment, he turned to the court for redress.
Among the accused are notable figures, including IISc officials Govindan Rangarajan, Sridhar Warrier, Sandya Vishwswaraih, Hari K.V.S., Dasappa, Balaram P., Hemalata Mhishi, Chattopadyaya K., Pradeep D. Sawkar, and Manoharan, alongside Kris Gopalakrishnan, who serves as a member of the IISc Board of Trustees.
The allegations have sparked debate as the Supreme Court recently emphasized that not all insults against members of Scheduled Castes and Tribes qualify as offences under the SC/ST protection law.
There has been no official response from IISc faculty members or Kris Gopalakrishnan regarding the allegations. The investigation is ongoing.
(With inputs from The Hindu)
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