Accused in an FIR! BANAE writes to PMO to halt IIM Bangalore Director appointment of Prof Dinesh Kumar

New Delhi- The Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar National Association of Engineers (BANAE) has written to the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Dr. P. K. Mishra, seeking urgent intervention to prevent the appointment of Prof. U. Dinesh Kumar as the next regular Director of the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB). The organisation has alleged that the recommendation is being processed despite an active FIR and pending criminal proceedings against him in a caste-based discrimination case.

In a letter dated 11 November, BANAE National President Nagsen Sonare stated that Prof. Dinesh Kumar, currently serving as Director-in-Charge of IIM Bangalore since July 2025, faces FIR No. 0467/2024 registered at Mico Layout Police Station, Bengaluru. The FIR names him along with seven others, including the then Director Prof. Rishikesha T. Krishnan, under provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Related proceedings, including Crl.P. No. 14410/2024 and W.P. No. 19036/2024, remain pending before the Karnataka High Court.

BANAE has highlighted a serious conflict-of-interest concern, noting that Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairperson of the Search-cum-Selection Committee, and Prof. Dinesh Kumar are both accused in W.P. No. 19036/2024. The organisation claims that the Ministry of Education may forward the name to the PMO/Visitor without fully disclosing the active FIR and pending proceedings. It has also referred to earlier allegations of financial irregularities, favouritism, and attempts to influence the Ministry, investigation records, and IIMB’s vigilance-clearance process.

“We demand that all FIRs, pending proceedings, investigation records and allegations concerning interference and conflict of interest be fully disclosed and independently examined before any appointment decision is taken. Prof. Dinesh Kumar’s appointment should not be considered until the pending proceedings have been concluded and the allegations have been appropriately addressed,” the letter states.

BANAE has warned that if the appointment proceeds without such scrutiny, it reserves the right to pursue legal remedies, including a public interest litigation. Supporting documents have been enclosed with the representation, which has been marked to the President of India, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the Secretary of the Ministry of Education, and the PMO.

Speaking to The Mooknayak, Sonare stated, “It is completely unacceptable that someone facing serious unresolved charges of caste injustice is being pushed for the top post at IIM Bangalore while the case is still alive in court and questions of fairness in the selection process remain unanswered.”

The controversy traces back to complaints by Associate Professor Gopal Das, a Dalit faculty member in the Marketing area at IIM Bangalore who joined the institute in 2018. In January 2024, during a visit by President Droupadi Murmu to the campus, Das wrote to the President detailing alleged caste-based humiliation, exclusion from institutional activities, restricted access to resources, denial of equal professional opportunities, and the institute’s failure to establish mandatory SC/ST grievance redressal mechanisms.

Following directions from the President’s office, the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE), Karnataka Police, conducted an inquiry. In its report submitted in November 2024, the DCRE found evidence of caste-based discrimination. It recorded that the then Director publicly disclosed Das’s caste through a mass email, that the Director and Dean (Faculty) Dinesh Kumar denied him equal opportunities, and that the institute had not complied with statutory requirements for SC/ST grievance mechanisms.

On the basis of the DCRE findings, the Karnataka Social Welfare Department directed police action. FIR No. 0467/2024 was registered on 20 December 2024 against eight persons: then Director Rishikesha T. Krishnan, Dean (Faculty) U. Dinesh Kumar, and professors G. Shainesh, Srinivas Prakhya, Chetan Subramanian, Ashish Mishra, Srilatha Jonnalagedda, and Rahul De. Charges were invoked under Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(s) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to criminal intimidation.

The Karnataka High Court subsequently stayed further proceedings arising from the FIR and related inquiry steps against several of the accused. The criminal petitions and writ petitions remain pending. IIM Bangalore has maintained that the allegations are unfounded and that an internal inquiry had earlier found Das’s claims of discrimination to be without merit, linking the complaints to promotion-related issues involving student grievances against him.

Prof. Rishikesha T. Krishnan’s term as Director ended in July 2025, after which Prof. U. Dinesh Kumar assumed charge as Director-in-Charge. An earlier search panel recommended by the Board was reportedly not accepted by the Centre in early 2026, leading to a restarted selection process. BANAE has repeatedly written to the President (as Visitor of the IIMs), the Ministry of Education, and other authorities since 2024 and 2025, opposing any elevation of those named in the case and demanding that the DCRE findings and FIR be placed on record before appointments are finalised.