Infosys co-founder, 17 others booked for caste discrimination against Dalit professor
Eighteen people including Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan have been booked for caste discrimination by a former Dalit assistant professor who worked at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru.
D Sanna Durgappa, who holds a PhD in zoology, taught in the department of sustainable technologies of IISc. The Dalit assistant professor filed a private complaint at a Bengaluru court which directed Sadashivanagar police to register an FIR on Monday, January 27.
A private complaint is a legal complaint filed directly in court by a person when the police fail to act or if they prefer to approach the judiciary first.
Durgappa joined IISc as a lecturer on July 10, 2008, and was promoted to assistant professor in 2011. On October 25 of the same year, he requested funds under the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan and Tribal sub plan after being denied a separate laboratory and sitting area when he began working.
On the same day, he complained to the SC/ST faculty and officers association about enduring caste discrimination based on his Dalit identity.
The Dalit professor stated that after flagging caste discrimination, he was falsely accused of sexual harassment which led to the termination of his employment. “The IISc director orchestrated a honey trap and terminated me,” Durgappa said in his private complaint.
Following the allegations, in 2017, a legislature assembly committee was constituted to investigate the matter. During the investigation, the accusations against Durgappa proved to be false. The committee directed IISc to reinstate the Dalit assistant professor.
However, no such step was taken and Durgappa remained unemployed. “I was forced to endure nine years of unemployment,” his complaint states.
Following the FIR, cases have been booked under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against Kris Gopalakrishnan, who was on the governing council of the Institute, former IISc director Balaram P and 16 others.
There was no immediate reaction from the IISc faculty or from Kris Gopalakrishnan, who also serves as a member of the IISc Board of Trustees, according to a PTI report.
Who is Infosys’s Kris Gopalakrishnan?
Kris Gopalakrishnan is one of the original founders of Infosys and served as the company’s chief executive officer (CEO) between 2007 and 2011. After that, he served as Vice Chairman of the company till 2014.
In 2011, he was conferred the prestigious Padma Bhushan by the President of India.
The 69-year-old has Master’s degrees in physics and computer science from IIT-Madras. He and his wife Sudha Gopalakrishnan are involved in a philanthropic organisation called Pratiksha Trust, which focuses on brain research.
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