Tue Dec 31 18:12:18 UTC 2024: ## Karnataka High Court Stays Investigation into IIM-B Caste Discrimination Allegations
**Bengaluru, Dec 31, 2024** – The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday temporarily halted the investigation into allegations of caste-based discrimination against the director and seven faculty members of the Indian Institute of Management-Bengaluru (IIM-B). The investigation stemmed from a First Information Report (FIR) filed by an associate professor, Gopal Das, who claimed his caste was publicly disclosed, leading to humiliation.
The FIR, registered on December 20th, charged the accused under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for allegedly insulting and intimidating Mr. Das.
However, the High Court, hearing a petition filed by the IIM-B director and the accused faculty, stayed the investigation. The petitioners’ lawyer argued that Mr. Das himself had publicly disclosed his caste and that the allegations arose after the institute declined his promotion following complaints of harassment from PhD students. The court noted that the institute’s decision to not promote Mr. Das was based on findings from a committee that investigated student harassment complaints.
This is not the first time the IIM-B has faced such allegations. The court had previously stayed proceedings against the director and five faculty members in July 2024 before the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE) Cell, based on similar claims. The court also stayed proceedings against IIM-B’s chairman, Devi Prasad Shetty, in July. The High Court’s latest stay order effectively puts the police investigation on hold pending further legal proceedings.
First Piper 