HC stays arrests of ISM director and three others

The Allahabad High Court Thursday stayed the arrest of Dhanbad-based Indian School of Mines Director Rajeev Shekhar, booked for allegedly making casteist remarks against one of his former Dalit colleagues at IIT, Kanpur.

A bench of justices BK Narayana and Rajiv Joshi also stayed the arrests of three IIT, Kanpur professors, facing the same charges of using foul language against their Dalit colleague Subramanium Sadrela, an assistant there.

The three IIT professors whose arrests were stayed by the high court are Chandra Shekhar Upadhyay, Ishant Sharma and Sanjay Mithal.

While staying the arrests, the bench also issued notice to Sadrela, seeking his stand on a plea by the four, challenging the registration of an FIR against them under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocity) Act and other penal provisions at a Kanpur police station.

Sadrela earlier had lodged a complaint with the Uttar Pradesh SC/ST Commission, accusing the four of making casteist remarks against him, following which the panel had asked the IIT Kanpur director to lodge an FIR again the four.

The four, however, had approached the high court, challenging the Commission's order, which was stayed by the high court. The high court asked the IIT director to first make an internal enquiry to ascertain Sadrela's allegations.

But, Sadrela, meanwhile, personally lodged an FIR with Kalyanpuri police station in Kanpur, following which the four had approached the high court again, challenging the lodging of the FIR and seeking its revocation.