The Karnataka High Court has stayed proceedings against Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM-B) officials in a caste discrimination case involving Dalit associate professor Gopal Das. The stay was granted on the grounds that the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE), which issued the notice, lacks the authority to investigate harassment allegations.
Court Observations
Justice Hemant Chandanagoudar, in an interim order on December 20, highlighted that Section 7(a) of the Karnataka Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes (Reservation of Appointment etc.) Rules, 1992, limits DCRE’s authority to prosecuting cases of fraudulent caste certificate acquisition. The court found the notice issued by the DCRE to be beyond its jurisdiction. The next hearing is scheduled for mid-January.
Case Background
Gopal Das had accused the IIM-B director and faculty members of caste discrimination, leading to notices from DCRE and an FIR by Mico Layout police. The FIR invoked sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Ordinance, 2014, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
The accused officials, including IIM-B director Rishikesha T Krishnan and professors Dinesh Kumar, Sreelata Jonnalagadda, Rahul De, Ashis Mishra, and Chetan Subramanian, have also challenged the FIR in a separate petition before the high court.
This case underscores the legal complexities surrounding caste discrimination and jurisdictional authority.
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