Karnataka High Court stays IISc order against ex-prof in sexual harassment complaint

The court stayed the IISc order, issued on October 17, 2018, after the professor involved in the incident, Giridhar Madras, filed a petition against IISc, (file photo)

A single judge of Karnataka High Court has stayed an order of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) asking a senior professor to leave the institute following investigation of a sexual harassment complaint lodged by a doctoral student.

The court stayed the IISc order, issued on October 17, 2018, after the professor involved in the incident, Giridhar Madras, filed a petition against IISc, its internal committee against sexual harassment, and the student concerned over his removal on sexual harassment charges.

Madras, a senior professor in Chemical Engineering department and winner of CSIR’s prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award for Indian scientists in 2009, was asked to retire compulsorily by the IISc management in October last year after the internal committee found credence in the sexual harassment complaint brought against him by a doctoral student he was guiding.

In his petition in High Court, the former professor has stated that he was asked to retire compulsorily without being served a showcause notice, and on the basis of perceptions rather than evidence. The former IISc professor has said that he was not given a copy of the complaint filed against him by the student on December 15, 2016.

In an interim order in the matter on January 7, Justice R Devadas of High Court stayed the October 17, 2018 IISc order.