Press Kit

In 2020, California's Civil Rights Department brought a case against Cisco Systems and two Indian American engineers, Sundar Iyer and Ramana Kompella, alleging workplace discrimination against a Dalit employee. Widely reported as a landmark caste case, it soon became part of a national conversation about prejudice, identity and civil rights in America.

Iyer and Kompella denied the allegations. In April 2023, the CRD voluntarily dismissed its claims against them while continuing its litigation against Cisco. By then, however, the controversy had moved well beyond the original workplace dispute. Caste was increasingly being discussed in universities, corporations, advocacy organisations, the media and public policy.

CasteGate follows that widening debate. Drawing on more than 200 hours of interviews and research, together with court records, archival material and personal testimony, the documentary revisits the Cisco controversy and the evidence surrounding it. It explores the role of advocacy groups, academics, journalists and public institutions in shaping American perceptions of caste and its relationship to Hindu and Indian American life.

As the campaign against caste discrimination expanded, some Hindu Americans became concerned that attention was shifting from specific instances of prejudice towards broader assumptions about their religion and community. Were such concerns justified? Did the available evidence support the emerging public narrative? Could efforts to protect one group from discrimination contribute, even inadvertently, to stereotypes about another? CasteGate examines these questions through testimony, documentary records and competing interpretations of the events.

The debate eventually reached the California Legislature through SB 403. The bill sought to define caste as a dimension of ancestry under several state civil-rights laws. Supporters argued that explicit recognition would better protect people facing caste discrimination. Opponents questioned whether a separate reference was necessary and raised concerns about its implications for South Asian communities.

The Legislature passed the measure in 2023. Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed it on 7 October, stating that existing California law already prohibited discrimination based on caste.

CasteGate traces the path from a workplace complaint to a much wider controversy. It asks when allegations become accepted public narratives, what happens as those accounts move through advocacy, academia, journalism and government, and whether the underlying evidence receives sufficient scrutiny along the way. It also considers the consequences for individuals and communities when contested claims acquire institutional authority.

The filmmakers unequivocally condemn caste discrimination and believe that anyone who experiences it deserves protection. The film, however, grew out of a concern that the American conversation about caste was moving ahead without sufficient attention to the evidence, the people at the centre of the allegations and the consequences for a wider community. Its inquiry therefore considers two related civil-rights concerns: protecting people from caste discrimination and guarding against collective assumptions about Hindu and Indian Americans based on religion, ethnicity or national origin.

CasteGate ultimately reaches beyond one lawsuit or one piece of legislation. It investigates the relationship between evidence and advocacy, identity and stereotype, civil rights and civil liberties. At its heart is a critical question: how should democratic institutions confront discrimination while preserving due process, examining evidence carefully and remaining accountable for the consequences of their actions?