With more good news on the IP front – the renowned Prof. N.S. Gopalakrishnan has been reinstated as the Union Ministry for Human Resource Development (MHRD) Chair for IP at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT). Readers may remember that nearly a year ago, Prof Gopalakrishan was arbitrarily dismissed from the MHRD IP Chair; shortly thereafter Prof Yogesh Pai was also removed from the MHRD IP Chair from NLU-Jodhpur. We had also put together a petition protesting against these two arbitrary removals.
As it turns out, the MHRD is not easily forgiving or forgetting these arbitrary removals. As The Hindu recently reported, when the CUSAT Syndicate approached the MHRD ministry for the upgradation of the institution into an Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), the MHRD indicated they were against any such upgradation, giving them an earful about the dismissals of the MHRD IP Chair. Bar & Bench has confirmed that orders related to his reinstatement were issued by CUSAT about a week ago.
It’s terrific that the MHRD has stood up like this for Prof Gopalakrishnan like this, and it is certainly well applauded by us at SpicyIP. However, as for the reinstatement by CUSAT, I think I agree with what Prof Yogesh Pai has stated in the mentioned Bar & Bench article:
“Prof. Gopalakrishnan is India’s foremost IP academic. His contribution to Indian IP thought is recognised beyond the borders. In my opinion, his reinstatement as the IP Chair is far too little and too late in comparison to the insurmountable loss and humiliation that the Indian academia suffered due to his removal. Cochin University should tender an unconditional apology on this issue. It is their privilege that Prof. NS Gopalakrishnan has chosen to be with the University in these testing times.”
