Eighteen individuals, including Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan, have been accused of caste discrimination by Dr. D. Sanna Durgappa, a former assistant professor at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. In a private complaint filed in a Bengaluru court, Dr. Durgappa alleged systemic caste-based discrimination, stating that he was denied basic facilities like a laboratory and workspace. The court directed the police to register an FIR on January 27, naming Gopalakrishnan and other IISc officials in the case.

The professor claimed he was subjected to false sexual harassment allegations after flagging these discriminatory practices and was subsequently terminated from his position. In 2017, a legislative committee found the charges against him to be fabricated and directed IISc to reinstate him, but no action was taken. Dr. Durgappa has reportedly endured nearly nine years of unemployment due to the institution’s failure to act on the committee’s recommendations.

The FIR has been registered under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against Kris Gopalakrishnan, former IISc director Balaram P., and 16 others. The accused, including Gopalakrishnan, who is also a member of the IISc Board of Trustees, have not issued any public statement regarding the allegations. This case sheds light on the persistent issues of caste discrimination within India’s academic and professional spaces.