HC stays investigation, court proceedings against Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan
Bengaluru(PTI): Karnataka High Court has stayed the investigation and proceedings into an SC/ST atrocities case booked against Infosys co-founder Senapathy Kris Gopalakrishnan and 15 others.
Justice S R Krishna Kumar granted the stay on Wednesday.
"Accepting the reasons stated in the application duly filed along with memorandum of facts, I.A.No.1/2025 is allowed. Accordingly, production of original/certified copy of Annexure-CC is dispensed with for the present," the Court said.
"In the meanwhile, all further proceedings/investigation in crime number 17/2025 of Sadashivanagara police station and all further proceedings in PCR Number 1/2025 on the file of LXX Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge and Special Judge, Benglauru insofar as the petitioners are concerned, are hereby stayed till the next date of hearing," the court maintained.
Gopalakrishnan, along with 17 faculty members, was booked under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act following allegations by a former professor of Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Sanna Durgappa regarding incidents from 2010 to 2020.
Durgappa had alleged that he was framed in a fake honey trap case and he was abused with casteist remarks as he belongs to the tribal Bovi community.
The case was registered against the Infosys co-founder and 17 others on the directions of a court. In a statement regarding the case registered against him and the subsequent stay, the Infosys co-founder said, "I have always believed in fairness, justice, and treating everyone with respect, regardless of their background. I am deeply saddened that a law meant to protect marginalized communities has been misused to make false allegations against me."
He further said he has been associated with IISc as Chairman of the Council since 2022, while the alleged incidents date back to 2014.
The IISc has clear policies for fair and transparent investigations, which are within the purview of the executive management, he added.
"Yesterday, the Hon’ble High Court of Karnataka stayed all further investigation and proceedings under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against me and others. As the matter is before the Courts, I will not comment further. I have full faith in the judiciary and trust that justice will prevail," Kris Gopalakrishnan said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Former South Korean President Yoon receives life sentence for imposing martial law
Seoul (AP): Former President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life in prison for his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024.
Judge Jee Kui-youn said he found Yoon guilty of rebellion for mobilizing military and police forces in an illegal attempt to seize the liberal-led National Assembly, arrest politicians and establish unchecked power for a “considerable” time.
Yoon is likely to appeal the verdict.
A special prosecutor had demanded the death penalty for Yoon, saying his actions posed a threat to the country's democracy and deserved the most serious punishment available, but most analysts expect a life sentence since the poorly-planned power grab did not result in casualties.
ALSO READ: IIT-Madras to establish applied AI innovation centre in Dubai
South Korea has not executed a death row inmate since 1997, in what is widely seen as a de facto moratorium on capital punishment amid calls for its abolition.
As Yoon arrived in court, hundreds of police officers watched closely as Yoon supporters rallied outside a judicial complex, their cries rising as the prison bus transporting him drove past. Yoon's critics gathered nearby, demanding the death penalty.
The court also convicted and sentenced several former military and police officials involved in enforcing Yoon's martial law decree, including ex-Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, who received a 30-year jail term for his central role in planning the measure and mobilizing the military.
Yoon, a staunch conservative, has defended his martial law decree as necessary to stop liberals, whom he described as “anti-state” forces, from obstructing his agenda with their legislative majority.
The decree lasted about six hours before being lifted after a quorum of lawmakers managed to break through a military blockade and unanimously voted to lift the measure.
Yoon was suspended from office on December 14, 2024, after being impeached by lawmakers and was formally removed by the Constitutional Court in April 2025. He has been under arrest since last July while facing multiple criminal trials, with the rebellion charge carrying the most severe punishment.
Last month, Yoon was sentenced to five years in prison for resisting arrest, fabricating the martial law proclamation and sidestepping a legally mandated full Cabinet meeting before declaring the measure.
The Seoul Central Court has also convicted two of Yoon's Cabinet members in other cases. That includes Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who received a 23-year prison sentence for attempting to legitimize the decree by forcing it through a Cabinet Council meeting, falsifying records and lying under oath. Han has appealed the verdict.
