Dalit Researchers Win Landmark Intellectual Property Compensation in Atrocity Case

The Supreme Court upheld a Bombay High Court ruling granting compensation to a Dalit couple for the destruction of their intellectual property under the SC/ST Act.

Dr. Kshipra Kamlesh Uke and Dr. Shiv Shankar Das, researchers from Jawaharlal Nehru University, lost laptops and research data in an illegal police raid.

They sought compensation, arguing that their lost data, a form of intellectual property, should be covered under the Act.

The Maharashtra government disagreed, but the Bombay High Court ruled that "property" under Section 15A includes intellectual property, dismissing the state's appeal.

The Maharashtra government’s appeal was dismissed by the Supreme Court, affirming the couple's right to compensation for intangible property.