Karnataka HC stays proceedings against IIMB dean, director, faculty over caste discrimination

The court pointed out that DCRE can prosecute a person who has obtained a caste certificate fraudulently and has no authority to enquire into the allegations of harassment of a person belonging to the SC/ST community.

BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court stayed the proceedings initiated by the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE) against the dean, director and faculty members of Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIMB), based on a complaint filed by Dr Gopal Das, associate professor of marketing, IIMB, alleging caste-based discrimination and humiliation of him.

“Section 7 (a) of the Karnataka Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other Backward Classes (Reservation of Appointment etc) Rules, 1992, stipulates that the DCRE can prosecute a person who has obtained a caste certificate fraudulently and has no authority to enquire into the allegations of harassment of a person belonging to scheduled caste and scheduled tribe community. Therefore, the impugned notice issued by the DCRE prima-facie lacks authority,” said Justice Hemant Chandangoudar in the interim order of stay passed recently.

The order was passed on a petition filed by Prof Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director, Prof Dinesh Kumar, Dean-Faculty, and other faculty members such as prof Sreelata Jonnalagedda, Prof Rahul De, Prof Ashis Mishra and Prof Chetan Subramanian. The stay order for another petitioner, Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIMB, was passed on July 18.

All the petitioners questioned the entire proceedings initiated by the DCRE based on the complaint filed by Gopal Das. Further hearing was adjourned to the second week of January 2025.

Meanwhile, the director and others, against whom the First Information Report was registered on the same issue, recently moved the high court challenging it. The petition is yet to be heard.