MeToo Probe: Karnataka HC Stays IISc Order Asking Prof to ‘Retire’

Giridhar Madras, an alumnus of IIT-Madras, was accused of sexual harassment by an IISc student.

File image of IISc Bengaluru.

(Photo Courtesy: ENVIS)

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday, 8 January, stayed an order of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) asking a senior professor to leave the institute over allegations of sexual harassment, reported The Indian Express.

Giridhar Madras, who was accused of sexual harassment by a doctoral student, was asked to take “compulsory retirement” by the institution. The professor, who was teaching at the chemical engineering department of the institute in Bengaluru, is an IIT-Madras alumnus.

In his petition in High Court, the professor alleged that he was not given a copy of the complaint and that he was asked to leave on the basis of “perceptions rather than evidence,” the report said.

A profile of Giridhar Madras, which was on the IISc website a few days ago, has been taken down, according to the report.

Giridhar has received numerous awards, including the CSIR’s prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award (2009), JC Bose National Fellowship, and the IISc award for excellence in research.

(With inputs from The Indian Express)