Infosys Co-Founder Kris Gopalakrishnan among 18 booked under SC/ST Atrocities Act

A case has been registered against Infosys co-founder Senapathy Kris Gopalakrishnan, former IISc Director Balaram, and 16 others under the Prevention of SC/ST Atrocities Act, news agency PTI reported.

 The legal action was taken on Monday, following allegations that the individuals were involved in actions that violated the rights of people from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The case has drawn significant attention, involving prominent figures from the tech and academic sectors. Authorities are expected to investigate the matter thoroughly per the law's provisions.

The case was filed at the Sadashiva Nagar police station following the instructions of the 71st City Civil and Sessions Court (CCH). The complainant, Durgappa, who belongs to the tribal Bovi community, was a faculty member at the Centre for Sustainable Technology at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).

He claimed that in 2014, he was falsely implicated in a honey trap case and subsequently dismissed from service. He further alleged that he was subjected to casteist abuse and threats.

The other individuals named in the case include Govindan Rangarajan, Sridhar Warrier, Sandya Vishwswaraih, Hari K.V.S., Dasappa, Balaram P., Hemalata Mhishi, Chattopadyaya K., Pradeep D. Sawkar, and Manoharan

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.

Deeply saddened, says Kris Gopalakrishnan

“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. I have been associated with IISc as Chairman of the Council 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. 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 Kris Gopalakrishnan in a statement.

Who is Kris Gopalakrishnan?

Kris Gopalakrishnan is one of the co-founders of tech giant Infosys, who served as its vice chairman from 2011 to 2014. Gopalakrishnan also served as chief executive officer and managing director of Infosys from 2007 to 2011.

He was elected as the President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), India's apex industry body from 2013 to 2014, as per Kris Gopalakrishnan's LinkedIn profile. He co-chaired the co-chairs of the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2014.

(This article has been updated to add new information.)