Bhopal: The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal terminated the services of senior professor R. Mahalakshmi after ‘finding’ that she allegedly created fake email addresses to peddle ‘baseless’ charges against fellow faculty members.
The controversy came to light in early 2024 when the anonymous emails, which also reached students, levelled serious allegations against several faculty members. The institute said they weren’t provided any evidence.
In Dec 2024, IISER Bhopal lodged a complaint with the Khajuri Sadak police, which was followed by a probe by the cyber cell. The institute also constituted an internal inquiry committee. “The preliminary report went against her and she was suspended,” Gaurav Awasthi, the institute’s registrar, told TOI. However, the professor challenged her suspension in court, which gave her a measure of relief. Then, IISER convened a meeting of the board of governors (BoG) on Jan 22, 2026, endorsing the inquiry reports. “The probe reports confirmed that Mahalakshmi had used fake addresses to send the bogus emails,” Awasthi said. Mahalakshmi said, “I have been wronged. I wasn’t involved in the matter.”
