The Karnataka High Court has quashed proceedings under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against Infosys co-founder and IISc Council Chairman S. Krish Gopalakrishnan and 15 others, including several Indian Institute of Science (IISc) faculty members. The case was based on a complaint by former IISc professor Dr. D. Sanna Durgappa, who had alleged caste-based discrimination and wrongful dismissal from service.

Justice Hemant Chandangoudar, delivering the judgment, stated that the allegations made in the complaint did not constitute offences under the SC/ST Act. “The present private complaint is an abuse of the process of law,” the court observed, adding that it was a vexatious attempt to harass the petitioners by giving a civil dispute a criminal color.

Dr. Durgappa had earlier claimed he was falsely implicated in a 2014 honey trap case, which led to his termination from the institute. However, the court noted that the termination followed a departmental inquiry related to allegations of sexual harassment and was later converted into a resignation as part of a settlement. The terms of that settlement—recorded in a joint memo filed in W.P. No.19594/2015—had been fulfilled, with all terminal benefits paid to Durgappa, who also agreed to withdraw all related proceedings and complaints.

Despite this, the complainant filed multiple complaints on similar grounds, prompting earlier High Court orders in 2016 and 2022 quashing FIRs arising from those filings. The present complaint included two additional respondents accused of issuing threats, but the court found no merit in the new charges.

The court also reserved the liberty for the petitioners to approach the Advocate General for initiating criminal contempt proceedings against Dr. Durgappa.

Named alongside Gopalakrishnan in the complaint were IISc faculty members Govindan Rangarajan, Sridhar Warrier, Sandya Vishwswaraih, Hari K V S, Dasappa, Balaram P, Hemalata Mhishi, Chattopadyaya K, Pradeep D Sawkar, and Manoharan, among others.

(With inputs from Live Law)

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The post “Complaint An Abuse Of Process Of Law”, Karnataka High Court Quashes SC/ST Atrocities Case Against Infosys Co-Founder And IISc Faculty appeared first on The Commune.

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.

No official response has been received from IISc faculty members or Kris Gopalakrishnan regarding the allegations. The investigation is ongoing.

(With inputs from The Hindu)

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The post SC/ST Act Case Filed Against Infosys Co-Founder, IISc Members Over Alleged Wrongful Dismissal appeared first on The Commune.