The Karnataka High Court on Friday, December 20, stayed the FIR proceedings against Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore Director Prof Rishikesha Krishnan and seven other professors over allegations of caste discrimination.
The FIR, registered at Mico Layout police station, named Rishikesha Krishnan and Professors Dinesh Kumar, Sainesh G, Srinivas Prakhya, Chetan Subramanian, Ashish Mishra, Srilatha Jonalagedu, and Rahul De. They were accused of caste discrimination and denial of equal opportunity to Associate Professor Gopal Das, a Dalit scholar.
They have been charged under Sections 3(1)(r) (insults or intimidates SC/ST person) and 3(1)(s) (abuses SC/ST person by caste name) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 2014 and Sections 351 (2) (criminal intimidation) and 351 (3) (criminal intimidation to cause death or grievous hurt) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
The FIR was registered after an inquiry by the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE) confirmed allegations of caste-based harassment made by Gopal Das. The DCRE investigation, led by Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Arun Chakravarthy, concluded in November. The inquiry report, submitted to the Social Welfare Department, found significant evidence of caste-based harassment and workplace exclusion. It accused Rishikesh Krishnan of publicly disclosing Gopal Das’s caste in a mass email circulated within the institute. The report also revealed that Rishikesh and Dean Dinesh Kumar denied Gopal Das equal opportunities in professional activities.
The allegations first came to light in January 2024 when Associate Professor Gopal Das, wrote to President Droupadi Murmu during her visit to IIM Bangalore. In the letter, Prof. Das outlined incidents of exclusion from institutional activities, restricted access to academic resources, and caste-based humiliation. Following a directive from the President’s office, the DCRE initiated an inquiry in March.
In response, IIM-B denied the allegations, saying that Prof Das's promotion was withheld due to harassment charges filed against him by doctoral students. "An enquiry conducted by IIMB as per the rules, with the committee including a reputed academic from the SC category from an eminent institution, found that the students’ complaints were justified. The DIGRC found Dr. Das’s complaints of harassment and discrimination to be unfounded."