#MeToo effect: IISc forces Senior Professor into compulsory retirement
Bengaluru, October 31: As it was found guilty in a sexual harassment case in an investigation, a senior professor of the prestigious Indian Institute of Sciences was booted out from the institution.
Chemical engineer Giridhar Madras was known as one of the best scientists in the world.
He has been working in the IISc for two decades. He has got engineering degree in chemical engineering from Annamalai University in 1988 and got M-Tech degree from IIT Madras in 1989 and got Phd degree from A and M University of Texas in 1993.
"Our Board has directed Prof. Madras to take compulsory retirement", IISc Director Anurag Kumar announced. But he denied to disclose the issues.
Earlier also IISc Board had given such orders. Prof. Madras has got various prestigious awards like IISc Award for Excellence in Research, SS Bhatnagar award, Scopus Young Scientist award and others.
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'Someone must be held accountable': HC converts civil suit on Goa nightclub tragedy into PIL
Panaji (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Monday converted a civil suit against Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) saying "someone has to be held accountable" for the tragedy in which 25 people were killed.In a stern observation, Goa bench of the High Court of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ashish Chavan said the local panchayat had "failed to take suo motu cognisance" of the club and had taken "no action despite complaints."
The division bench directed the Goa government to file a detailed reply on the permissions granted to the nightclub.
The High Court, while fixing January 8 as the next date of hearing, pointed out that commercial operations were continuing in the structure despite it having been served a demolition order.
The original petition was filed after the December 6 tragedy by Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar and Sunil Divkar, the owners of the land on which the nightclub was operating.
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Advocate Rohit Bras de Sa, the lawyer representing the petitioner, was made amicus curiae in the matter and has been asked to file a detailed affidavit in the matter.
In their petition, Amonkar and Divkar highlighted "the alarming pattern of statutory violations that have remained inadequately addressed despite multiple complaints, inspections, show-cause notices, and even a demolition order".
They contended that these violations posed "immediate threats to public safety, ecological integrity, and the rule of law in the state of Goa."
Investigations by multiple agencies into the nightclub fire have revealed various irregularities, including lack of permissions to operate the nightclub.
The Goa police arrested five managers and staff members of the club, while co-owners Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra have been detained in Thailand after they fled the country.
