Bengaluru: In a significant ruling, the Karnataka High Court has quashed a criminal case registered against Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan, former Indian Institute of Science (IISc) director Balaram P, and fourteen others, under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act (SC/ST Act). The case, initially filed by a former IISc faculty member, was dismissed by Justice Hemant Chandangoudar, who described the complaint as a “vexatious attempt to harass the petitioners.”
The complaint had been filed by Dr. Sanna Durgappa, a former assistant professor at IISc’s Centre for Sustainable Technology, who had accused Gopalakrishnan and others of caste-based discrimination following his termination from service. The allegations were raised after Durgappa, who hails from the Bovi community, claimed that he had been denied essential resources, including funds for a laboratory and a sitting area, which he sought to support research projects involving academics from the SC/ST communities.
The dispute stems from Durgappa’s dismissal from IISc, which he contended was due to caste-based bias. He further alleged that he was falsely implicated in two serious cases—one involving financial fraud and another involving sexual harassment—leading to his termination. Subsequently, Durgappa approached the State Legislative Assembly’s SC/ST Committee, seeking an investigation. However, the investigation report concluded that there was no instance of sexual harassment, and Durgappa had been unfairly singled out.
After his termination was converted into a resignation through a settlement with IISc’s representatives, Durgappa continued to press criminal charges despite the settlement, which included the withdrawal of all previous complaints. His insistence on pursuing the case led to the filing of a criminal complaint and a First Information Report (FIR) on January 28, 2025. The FIR named 16 individuals, including Gopalakrishnan, and was filed on the direction of the City Civil and Sessions Court in Bengaluru.
In response to the latest complaint, the Karnataka High Court noted that two previous similar complaints by Durgappa had already been quashed, citing that they were civil disputes wrongly framed as criminal issues. Justice Chandangoudar observed that the fresh complaint largely mirrored the previous allegations and was nothing more than a tactic to harass the petitioners due to Durgappa’s termination. The Court stressed that such repeated filings were an abuse of legal processes.
Furthermore, the High Court pointed out that, as part of the settlement, Durgappa had agreed to withdraw all his complaints against the IISc representatives. Despite receiving his terminal benefits, he continued to pursue the case. The Court has now given IISc’s representatives the liberty to initiate criminal contempt of court proceedings against Durgappa for violating the terms of the settlement.
The Court’s decision has come as a relief to the accused, who had been embroiled in a prolonged legal battle. Senior Advocate SS Ramdas and Advocate Syed Kashif AL represented the petitioners in the case, while Advocate Manoj SN appeared for the complainant. The High Court Government Pleader, R Patil, represented the State in the matter.
