Bengaluru police have filed a case against Infosys co-founder Senapathy Gopalakrishnan, commonly known as Kris Gopalakrishnan, along with 17 others, under the Prevention of SC/ST Atrocities Act, as reported on January 27. This article explores Gopalakrishnan’s background, the circumstances surrounding the case, and its implications.
**Details of the Case Against Kris Gopalakrishnan**
The Sadashiva Nagar police in Bengaluru initiated the case against Gopalakrishnan, former IISc Director Balaram, and 16 others following instructions from the 71st city civil and session court.
**Reason for Filing Under the SC/ST Atrocities Act**
The court’s directive was prompted by a complaint from Durgappa, a member of the tribal Bovi community and a faculty member at the Centre for Sustainable Technology at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). Durgappa alleged that he was falsely implicated in a honey trap case in 2014, which led to his dismissal from service. He also claimed to have faced caste-based abuse and threats from those named in his complaint, including Gopalakrishnan. Other individuals implicated in the case are Govindan Rangarajan, Sridhar Warrier, Sandya Vishwswaraih, Hari KVS, Dasappa, Balaram P, Hemalata Mhishi, Chattopadyaya K, Pradeep D Sawkar, and Manoharan.
**Current Status**
As of now, there has been no immediate response from either the IISc faculty or Kris Gopalakrishnan, who is also a member of the IISc Board of Trustees.
**Who is Kris Gopalakrishnan?**
Kris Gopalakrishnan, 69, is one of the original co-founders of Infosys and served as the CEO and Managing Director from 2007 to 2011, later becoming Vice Chairman until 2014. He currently chairs Axilor Ventures, a startup accelerator that has invested in various startups, including EnKash, GoodHome, and Kaagaz. Alongside his wife, Sudha Gopalakrishnan, he runs the Pratiksha Trust, which focuses on brain research.
Gopalakrishnan is also involved in academia, serving on the Board of Governors at IIT-Madras and as Chairman at IIT-Bangalore, as well as being a trustee at the Chennai Mathematical Institute. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honor, in 2011. He holds Master’s Degrees in physics and computer science from IIT-Madras. In a 2009 interview, he mentioned that he might have pursued a career in medicine, reflecting his parents’ aspirations for him to become a doctor, as there were no physicians in their extended family.
