This story is from July 18, 2015

‘It’s justice but at what cost and whose cost?’, asks IIM-B professor Siddappa

For the last 29 years, an Indian Institute of Management - Bangalore professor has been fighting against his employers for illegally suspending and later terminating him from service.
‘It’s justice but at what cost and whose cost?’, asks IIM-B professor Siddappa
(This story originally appeared in on Jul 17, 2015)
BENGALURU: For the last 29 years, an Indian Institute of Management - Bangalore professor has been fighting against his employers for illegally suspending and later terminating him from service.
On Thursday, a division bench of the high court ordered that his termination by IIMB was not right. It upheld a single bench order quashing of his termination by IIMB. During this period, Siddappa says, he stopped being a finance expert and became a legal expert fighting his own case. Speaking to Mirror, Siddappa said, "Justice at what cost and whose cost?"
I have been without any income since 1992.
I was unemployed and survived by selling off my and my wife's properties."
Siddappa won the case before a single judge bench of the HC in 2006 after the case went on for 14 years. But IIMB did not let go and appealed against it. Siddappa says he was victimised for speaking up for the employees and framed in a fake assault case leading to his dismissal. The assault case against Siddappa did not stand scrutiny and was dropped. But Siddappa's dismissal was never revoked. While the single judge in 2006 ordered for payment of 100 per cent back wages and consequential retirement benefits, the division bench order on Thursday was somewhat of a dampener for Siddappa. IIMB cited Supreme Court's 'No work no pay' order to deny full benefits to Siddappa. He will get the full retirement benefits but not the full wage arrears that would have accrued to him had he been employed. "I hope to get the full order copy in a day or two. So I really do not know what to expect," he said.

Misuse of vehicle
In 1986, Siddappa was 47 and the vice-president of the IIMB Employees Union. The president (not employee) was trade union activist Michael Fernandes (brother of George Fernandes). For years, the employees and the management were involved in a tussle. In 1983, the management had agreed to some of the charter of demands of the union. But these were not implemented.
The employees were organising a protest demanding the implementation three years later in 1986. Fernandes was to address the employees and the union requested a vehicle from IIMB to visit the airport. They were permitted and given use of a van between 8am and 12pm.

One of the employees complained that the vehicle was used between 6 am and 1.30 pm. The officer concerned ruled that there was no misuse. But a case was lodged that a mechanic, Padmanabha N, - on the assumption that he was behind the complaint - was assaulted by Siddappa on the instigation of some peons and clerks. Siddappa was kept under suspension. The assault case did not stand. But the institute suspended Siddappa after an internal enquiry in 1986 and dismissed him from service in 1993. Siddappa continued to be the employees' union president till 1996.
Siddappa says the case against him was trumped up to weaken the union. ''The management did not like the union. We had also questioned why even for the posts of sweepers and peons, people from Kerala were being recruited. A newspaper wrote eight articles about the union and its demands and the management was not happy. Everyone except a handful of employees were members of the union. Police were present in the institute when the alleged assault took place. If I was fixed, the whole union could be phased out. The union was completely shattered and there is no union now."
Flow of emergency excesses
Siddappa says he is still fighting off the excesses of the Emergency of 1975. "The case against me and my suspension was the flow of Emergency excesses. When this thing started we stood firm. 10 years after Emergency they still wanted 'yes men'. I was made several offers for compromise. I was told I should quit being the vice-president and I would get Rs 5 lakh. I did not accept. I was asked my price," he says.
My daughter went into shock
Since his dismissal Siddappa did not receive a salary. "I was unemployed and fighting the case all the time. I sold all the properties I inherited and that of my wife. I may have won the case. But justice at what cost and whose cost. I suffered health problems and so much tension running around. That cannot be compensated. In service I would have got a promotion every five years. I still do not know if I will get all money due to me. But I have won my honour. IIM was wrong in dismissing me."
Siddappa has two daughters and says bringing them up in the situation was horrible. "One of my daughters went into a shock and it took five years to bring her back to normalcy. I did not want them to be burden on society and educated them and brought them back on track. I survived because I knew in my mind that I was right," he says.
Siddappa feels money cannot compensate for loss of his prime years. "I live in a rented house. In those days I could have invested Rs 4-5 lakh and got a 30x40 site. Now Rs 1 crore will not fetch it. What is that I will leave for my children? God knows, I don't know. I have to exist and I am doing it. It is horrible. I am not happy at all. I am happy about only one thing that the case has come to an end."
"Monetary loss may be crores of Rupees. But losses that cannot be quantified is unimaginable. The problems my family, my wife and children faced cannot be quantified." Siddappa continued to live in the IIMB campus till 2006 as the courts said he cannot be evicted till the case was pending. "One fine day they stopped vehicles for my children going to school. IIMB was outside the city limits then. I had to go to court to restore vehicle facility for my children. Justice Shivaraj Patil, who was presiding, then said, "Is it not enough to destroy Siddappa? Now you are destroying his children,'' and got vehicle facilities restored."
Credited with loans for small farmers
Siddappa completed his MA in Mysore University. He was awarded the Ford Foundation Award and thus got to do his Phd in Pune. Then on a scholarship awarded by the Union Ministry of Panchayat Raj he did research in Bombay. He had a bond with the Government of India to work exclusively for it. But he was later inducted into the IIMA in 1970. When IIMB was about to be launched he was one of the first to be interviewed as faculty. When he joined in 1974, there were still no students there. Siddappa was one of the first in India to use the 'case study' method in teaching. When an RBI study concluded that it was uneconomical to finance small farmers, Siddappa used the same data to prove that financing small farmers was a step in the right direction.
Biggest regret
I could not do anything for society. I feel guilty. I should have done something in my area. That would have given more satisfaction. I could now be resting in peace at home. All I did in 30 years was winning this court case. I got into the rut which was difficult to extricate.
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