On 3 June 2024, the Madras High Court granted conditional bail to Sheejith Krishna, a 51-year-old former professor at Chennai’s Kalakshetra Foundation, who was accused of sexual assault by two former students. Krishna was arrested by the Neelankarai All Women Police on 22 April 2024, following complaints from the students, who studied at the institution between 1995 and 2007, alleging multiple instances of sexual harassment.
The case against Krishna emerged after one of the women approached the Madras High Court in December 2023. The court subsequently directed the police to investigate her complaint. This directive led to a preliminary inquiry by the Neelankarai All Women’s Police Station and the subsequent registration of a case against Krishna in February.
During the bail hearing, Senior Counsel R John Sathyan, representing Krishna, argued that the alleged offenses occurred over two decades (28 years) ago and questioned the credibility of the accusations given the significant time lapse. Sathyan emphasized the lack of substantial evidence, that since the time of arrest, Krishna had not been investigated by the police nor had any other “victim” come forward to provide evidence. It was also noted that the complainant now resides abroad.
Opposing the bail petition, the counsel for the complainant contended that granting bail to Krishna would deter other victims from coming forward. The police also argued that another victim had filed a complaint against Krishna and that a few more were likely to file complaints and hence bail must be denied to him. On 22 May 2024, when the case came up for hearing, it was reported that the Madras High Court questioned the purpose of keeping Bharatanatyam dancer and former Kalakshetra faculty member Sheejith Krishna in custody in relation to the case. Justice C Saravanan of the vacation bench reviewed Krishna’s bail plea. The government advocate argued that the ongoing investigation necessitated Krishna’s detention, as police are in the process of recording witness statements under Section 164 of the CrPC. The judge suggested that Krishna could report daily to the police station instead. The government advocate, noting that additional witness statements still need to be collected, requested more time for further instructions.
On 3 June 2024, the court decided to grant conditional bail to Krishna. If Krishna has to travel abroad, he is required to get permission from the court before the travel.
This decision allows Krishna to be released while awaiting further legal proceedings.
The Kalakshetra Foundation, a premier performing arts institution, had already been in the spotlight due to protests by students alleging sexual harassment by four teachers. Hari Padman, an assistant professor at the Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts on the Kalakshetra campus, was the first to face accusations from several students. Padman was arrested by Chennai police in April last year and was granted bail in June 2023 by default due to failure of police to file chargesheet. The National Commission for Women (NCW) which had taken cognizance of the case found no evidence to support the allegations.
The institution set up an independent enquiry committee led by retired Justice K Kannan, along with former Tamil Nadu police chief Letika Saran and medical professional Shobha Varthaman which suspended Hari Padman and dismissed three other instructors, Sanjith Lal, Sreenath, and Sai Krishnan. This committee recommended providing legal assistance to students who wished to file police complaints against Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan, and Sreenath.
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