Infosys co-founder Senapathy Kris Gopalakrishnan has said that a law meant to protect marginalised communities has been misused to make false allegations against him. He was responding to news that he and 17 faculty members of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru have been booked under the Prevention of SC/ST Atrocities Act.
Gopalakrishnan is chairman of the IISc Council. He and the 17 faculty members were booked under the Act following allegations by a former professor about incidents from 2010 to 2020.
“Yesterday, the Hon’ble High Court of Karnataka stayed all further investigation and proceedings under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against me and others. As the matter is before the courts, I will not comment further. I have full faith in the judiciary and trust that justice will prevail,” said Gopalakrishnan in a statement
“I have always believed in fairness, justice, and treating everyone with respect, regardless of their background. I am deeply saddened that a law meant to protect marginalized communities has been misused to make false allegations against me.”
Gopalakrishnan said he has been IISc council chairman since 2022, while the alleged incidents date back to 2014. IISc has clear policies for fair and transparent investigations, which are within the purview of the executive management, his statement said.
Durgappa, the complainant, is of the Bovi community and worked at the Centre for Sustainable Technology at IISc. He alleges that he was falsely implicated in a honey trap case in 2014 and dismissed, according to several media reports. He alleges he was subjected to caste abuse and threats during his tenure at the institute.