Leela Samson, former Director of Kalakshetra Foundation, has issued a public expression of regret for wrongly naming a student in a Facebook post made in December 2022, which triggered a major controversy at the institution.

In a brief statement on her Facebook page, Samson wrote: “On December 23, 2022, I put a post on Athena, former student and presently Tutor at the Kalakshetra Foundation, on Facebook. I had wrongly mentioned her name in connection with a male faculty. I regret the error and no further comments will be made by me on her in the future.”

Samson’s admission comes after nearly two years of controversy stemming from her initial post, which alleged misconduct by a male teacher — Hari Padman — and inadvertently drew a student, into a scandal that disrupted her life and career. The student later alleged that the mention of her name, and its subsequent circulation in media reports and social media, had caused immense distress, mental agony, and damage to her reputation.

This ‘regret’ post came after the dispute was resolved recently through a mediated settlement following both civil and criminal complaints. The dragging of the student into the issue prompted the filing of a civil suit and related criminal charges. During the subsequent mediation process, as told to The Commune, Leela Samson expressed regret for her actions and agreed to do whatever was needed to make amends. This included putting up a public post on Facebook as a form of apology. In exchange for this, the complainant agreed to withdraw both the civil suit and the criminal case, effectively putting the matter to rest.

Before making the Facebook post, however, Leela took careful measures to control its visibility. She removed nearly all her friends from her account — reducing their number from approximately 2,000 down to just 5 — ensuring that the message would reach a limited and carefully curated viewership. Furthermore, as requested by the complainant, Leela made the post visible to the public while retaining this small number of friends. This tactic meant that the majority of her friends, and even many of her previous social media connections, remained oblivious to its content. In this way, the defendant was able to fulfill the terms of the agreement without broadly disclosing the details or drawing significant attention from her social circle.

As per the settlement, Leela Samson is to pay a total sum of ₹8 lakhs in two instalments — half upon withdrawal of the civil suit and the rest upon submission of a consent affidavit in the quash petition. The complainant also agreed to pursue quash proceedings before the Madras High Court.

Kalakshetra Issue

The controversy resulted in large-scale student protests, the temporary closing down of the institution, and the arrest of Hari Padman, who was later released on bail after the police failed to submit a chargesheet within the mandated time frame. A First Information Report (FIR) was lodged against Leela Samson and four other individuals under Section 509 of the IPC (intent to insult a woman’s modesty).

The FIR alleged that Samson made unfounded and derogatory comments, adding to the mental agony faced by the student, and further fueling rumors about her character. The complainant stressed in her filing that there was “not even a shred of truth” to the comments made by Samson and that their publication had a profoundly harmful effect on her personal and academic future.

What Did Leela Samson Post?

The complainant was a dance intern at the Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts (“RDCFA”) and has been associated with the institution for the past 7 years. The FIR states that the complaint pertains to the post made by Ms. Leela Samson, former director of the Kalakshetra Foundation on her Facebook profile in December 2022. 

The post has been deleted but the complainant claims that it has brought ill repute to her name and upheaved her personal and academic life. She also accuses Samson of having written the post with a highly vindictive agenda. 

The post made by Samson alleged that a male staff member indulged in acts of sexual harassment inside the campus. The alleged male staff member mentioned therein is one Mr. Haripadman who happened to be one of the complainant’s mentors and he had trained her for years together. 

In the comments section of the now-deleted Facebook post made on 23 December 2022 by Leela Samson, the complainant says that various comments were made about the alleged misdemeanours committed by Mr. Haripadman and that what was particularly disconcerting was that her name was linked in an uncharitable manner with Mr. Haripadman in one of those comments on the Facebook post. 

The comments said, “His victims are many. (Name hidden) had an abortion and wanted him to marry her. And so on. He had a mistress who is an intern – (name hidden) known to bully the younger students. Everyone knows. Junior students apparently ask the question – what do have to do to get a role in the concert section!” 

The comment on the Facebook post mentions the complainant’s name (removed for anonymity), although misspelled makes an explicit reference to her and the FIR says that it has given rise to an immense upheaval of her personal and academic life. The contents of the comment, at first glance, besides being false and baseless, are patently derogatory, disparaging, and vituperative, which projects the complainant in an extremely disparaging manner, the FIR said. 

The context, tone and tenor of Leela Samson’s post gives away that she had used the word “mistress” with a sexual connotation.

The reference to the complainant as a “mistress”, the FIR said, was an attack against her dignity and an affront to her modesty and as such attracts the provision of Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. 

The police subsequently closed the complaint against Samson. When the complainant asked for the reason, she was informed that Samson claimed “mistress” meant “ejamaani” (in Tamil ejamaani means a feudal landlady) in the context of the intern giving tuitions to Haripadman’s son. As Samson had already removed her post, the police found her explanation “satisfactory” and decided to close the case.

So the Adyar AWPS Inspector investigating the #Kalakshetra case is also probing the complaint against #LeelaSamson & teachers by a student @karmayogi_06 . Complaint was closed. When @karmayogi_06 asked why, she was told… Wait for it… Mistress means Ejamani!!! (1/n) pic.twitter.com/hTBnfAXLXb

— Sandhya Ravishankar (@sandhyaravishan) May 31, 2023

The FIR that was shared with The Commune also said that the tone of the now-deleted Facebook post and the comments section indicate that they have been made only to pursue an ulterior motive of vengeance against the Foundation and the current management members, through any means necessary, even if such means were to include the outright defamation of a young student such as the complainant. 

The FIR further stated, accordingly, Ms. Samson dragged the complainant’s name into this entire episode to reinforce her self-perceived narrative of deeply rooted corruption and rot in the institution. The FIR said that Samson dragged the complainant’s name without doing any prior fact-checking. The FIR also said, “Before mentioning my name in the Facebook post, it would have been prudent and proper for Ms. Leela Samson to have checked with me about the veracity or genuineness of the rumours she was supposedly hearing about me. The same was not done. There was not even a shred of truth to the allegations mentioned in the comment.”

The complainant also stated that Hari Padman had been her mentor ever since the first post-diploma year and had been on good terms with his entire family including his wife, and children and that was the reason why she visited his residence. She underscored that there was nothing more to this other than that of a mentor and student relationship.  

The Kalashetra Foundation’s Internal Complaints Committee conducted an inquiry and found no truth in the allegations made in the Facebook post about the alleged relationship.

Various media houses published articles about the inquiry, which further affected the individual’s reputation. The complainant also listed the websites where her name has been mentioned with regard to the inquiry conducted by the Internal Complaints Committee of the foundation and some of these publications can be accessed in the below links. 

(a) Kalashetra Chennai has a PoSH problem. Students fume, gag order imposed, art world shaken – The Print 

(b) Sexual harassment allegations at Chennai’s famous Kalakshetra, college issues gag order – The News Minute

The complainant expressed strong dismay at Ms. Leela Samson’s attempt to damage their hard-earned reputation among peers. The individual blamed Ms. Leela Samson’s initial Facebook post for triggering the events that caused them distress and stress. She also accused specific members of the teaching staff and fellow students of actively causing discomfort in their personal and academic life.

Samson’s expression of regret is a significant and somewhat dramatic twist in the controversy. It signals a moment of reconciliation and reflection for both the institution and the individuals involved in the incident.

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post Former Kalakshetra Director Leela Samson Expresses ‘Regret’ For Wrongly Linking A Female Student With A Male Faculty appeared first on The Commune.

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.

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post Former Kalakshetra Prof Sheejith Krishna Granted Bail In Sexual Assault Case appeared first on The Commune.

The Kalakshetra issue has subsided but most media channels did not cover a very important part of the whole issue. The complaint against former Director, Leela Samson. 

In an FIR copy that has surfaced that names Samson and 4 others, dated 20 July 2023, the complainant has accused Leela Samson of the derogatory and disparaging post made against her with the intent to insult her modesty. 

The complainant was a dance intern at the Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts (“RDCFA”) and has been associated with the institution for the past 7 years. The FIR states that the complaint pertains to the post made by Ms. Leela Samson, former director of the Kalakshetra Foundation on her Facebook profile in December 2022. 

The post has been deleted but the complainant claims that it has brought ill repute to her name and upheaved her personal and academic life. She also accuses Samson of having written the post with a highly vindictive agenda. 

The post made by Samson alleged that a male staff member indulged in acts of sexual harassment inside the campus. The alleged male staff member mentioned therein is one Mr. Haripadman who happened to be one of the complainant’s mentors and he had trained her for years together. 

In the comments section of the now-deleted Facebook post made on 23 December 2022 by Leela Samson, the complainant says that various comments were made about the alleged misdemeanours committed by Mr. Haripadman and that what was particularly disconcerting was that her name was linked in an uncharitable manner with Mr. Haripadman in one of those comments on the Facebook post. 

The comments said, “His victims are many. (Name hidden) had an abortion and wanted him to marry her. And so on. He had a mistress who is an intern – (name hidden) known to bully the younger students. Everyone knows. Junior students apparently ask the question – what do have to do to get a role in the concert section!” 

The comment on the Facebook post mentions the complainant’s name (removed for anonymity), although misspelled makes an explicit reference to her and the FIR says that it has given rise to an immense upheaval of her personal and academic life. The contents of the comment, at first glance, besides being false and baseless, are patently derogatory, disparaging, and vituperative, which projects the complainant in an extremely disparaging manner, the FIR said. 

The context, tone and tenor of Leela Samson’s post gives away that she had used the word “mistress” with a sexual connotation.

The reference to the complainant as a “mistress”, the FIR said, was an attack against her dignity and an affront to her modesty and as such attracts the provision of Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. 

Section 509 says, “Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman. Whoever, intending to insult the modesty of any woman, utters any words makes any sound or gesture, or exhibits any object, intending that such word or sound shall be heard, or that such gesture or object shall be seen, by such woman, or intrudes upon the privacy of such woman, (shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, and also with fine).” 

The complainant who felt wronged filed a complaint against Leela Samson during the Kalakshetra issue for unjustly damaging her reputation and publicly violating her dignity. The Adyar All Women Police Station, responsible for investigating the allegations against Kalakshetra Foundation and Haripadman, was also looking into the complaint against Leela Samson.

The police subsequently closed the complaint against Samson. When the complainant asked for the reason, she was informed that Samson claimed “mistress” meant “ejamaani” (in Tamil ejamaani means a feudal landlady) in the context of the intern giving tuitions to Haripadman’s son. As Samson had already removed her post, the police found her explanation “satisfactory” and decided to close the case.

So the Adyar AWPS Inspector investigating the #Kalakshetra case is also probing the complaint against #LeelaSamson & teachers by a student @karmayogi_06 . Complaint was closed. When @karmayogi_06 asked why, she was told… Wait for it… Mistress means Ejamani!!! (1/n) pic.twitter.com/hTBnfAXLXb

— Sandhya Ravishankar (@sandhyaravishan) May 31, 2023

The FIR that has been shared with The Commune also said that the tone of the now-deleted Facebook post and the comments section indicate that they have been made only to pursue an ulterior motive of vengeance against the Foundation and the current management members, through any means necessary, even if such means were to include the outright defamation of a young student such as the complainant. 

The FIR further says, accordingly, Ms. Samson has dragged the complainant’s name into this entire episode to reinforce her self-perceived narrative of deeply rooted corruption and rot in the institution. The FIR said that Samson dragged the complainant’s name without doing any prior fact-checking. The FIR also says, “Before mentioning my name in the Facebook post, it would have been prudent and proper for Ms. Leela Samson to have checked with me about the veracity or genuineness of the rumours she was supposedly hearing about me. The same was not done. There was not even a shred of truth to the allegations mentioned in the comment.”

The complainant also stated that Mr. Hari Padman had been her mentor ever since the first post-diploma year and had been on good terms with his entire family including his wife, and children and that was the reason why she visited his residence. She underscores that there was nothing more to this other than that of a mentor and student relationship.  

The Kalashetra Foundation’s Internal Complaints Committee conducted an inquiry and found no truth in the allegations made in the Facebook post about the alleged relationship.

Various media houses published articles about the inquiry, which further affected the individual’s reputation. The complainant also listed the websites where her name has been mentioned with regard to the inquiry conducted by the Internal Complaints Committee of the foundation and some of these publications can be accessed in the below links. 

(a) Kalashetra Chennai has a PoSH problem. Students fume, gag order imposed, art world shaken – The Print 

(b) Sexual harassment allegations at Chennai’s famous Kalakshetra, college issues gag order – The News Minute

The complainant accused specific individuals, including Nandini Nagaraj, Rekha Memon, Shanthi R Rajkamal, Nirmala Nagaraj, and Pavithra Lingendra, of contributing to their mental agony by spreading rumors and treating them poorly.

The complainant expressed strong dismay at Ms. Leela Samson’s attempt to damage their hard-earned reputation among peers. The individual blames Ms. Leela Samson’s initial Facebook post for triggering the events that caused them distress and stress. She also accused specific members of the teaching staff and fellow students of actively causing discomfort in their personal and academic life. 

• Nandini Nagaraj: A member of the teaching staff who treated the complainant with visible disgust and disapproval based on baseless rumours, which adds to their mental agony.
• Rekha Menon: Another member of the teaching staff who spread gossip about the individual and Mr. Hari Padman
• Shanthi R Rajkamal: A dance tutor who made an inappropriate reference to defamatory rumours about the complainant during a public event, which further escalated her distress.
• Nirmala Nagaraj: Delivered a manipulative and condescending speech, making direct references to the rumours about the complainant and Mr. Hari Padman. This intensified the mental torture they were experiencing as all fellow students started focusing on them and the rumors. 
• Pavithra Lingendra – A fellow student who was involved in spreading rumours and targeting their friends. 

It must be noted that Leela Samson’s Facebook posts along with articles published by the likes of The News Minute had snowballed into a controversy with full fledged protests by students forcing the institution to close down temporarily. Dance teacher Haripadman, who became the main target of the protest was arrested and sent to Puzhal jail with his bail application being rejected by the Saidapet court.

He was subsequently granted bail by the Saidapet court on 6 June 2023 after the police failed to file chargesheet against him within the stipulated time.

It was only on 27 July 2023 that the police filed a chargesheet in the case.

While a few media outlets had reported about the chargesheet being filed against Hari Padman, none has yet reported about the FIR filed against Leela Samson and others individuals.

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post Kalakshetra Issue: FIR Names Leela Samson & 4 Others For Derogating A Girl Student As “Mistress” appeared first on The Commune.

Hari Padman, the dance teacher who had become the target of Kalakshetra sexual harassment controversy has been granted bail by the court after the police failed to file chargesheet against him.

According to section 167 of CrPC, an accused will be entitled to bail by default, if the investigating authority fails to file charge sheet within 60 days from the date of remand.

Hari Padman, a Kalakshetra alumnus and teacher at the institute since 2002, was arrested on 3 April 2023, on charges of alleged sexual harassment and criminal intimidation, following a complaint from one of his former students.

The Kalakshetra Foundation’s board of directors had formed an independent inquiry committee to look into allegations of sexual harassment leveled against several teachers. In addition to suspending Padman pending the outcome of the investigation, the board had also terminated the services of three other teaching faculty members: Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan, and Sreenath.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) which had taken cognizance of the case found no evidence to support the allegations.

The Tamil Nadu State Commission for Women had also began to look into the allegations and obtained statements from students. AS Kumari, the head of Tamil Nadu State Women’s Commission had given an interview to a YouTube channel in which she alleges that she got more than 100 complaints of sexual harassment, casteism etc.

Accordingly, the State Women’s Commission submitted a report to the police and recommended that 162 girl students from Kalashetra be investigated.

Around 15 female students were investigated by police from the Adyar All Women Police Station in the last two weeks but most of the students did not make any accusations of sexual harassment against Hari Padman, other teachers or the institution.

A few students reportedly told the police that they had nothing to do with the complaint and said that they did not make any sexual harassment charges against Hari Padman. They told the police that the teachers at Kalakshetra are kind and share good respect. The rest of the complaints are being investigated.

Earlier, a group of alumnae of Kalakshetra Foundation, had come out in support of Hari Padman, claiming that his conduct was good when they studied under him and that the case against him was fabricated.

According to journalist Sandhya Ravishankar, so far no student who has been investigated by the police have levelled any sexual harassment allegation against Hari Padman.

Haripadman got bail after 2 long months. Police did not file chargesheet. So far all students questioned by police have said they haven't undergone sexual harassment. Let the probe go on as per law. #Kalakshetra

— Sandhya Ravishankar (@sandhyaravishan) June 3, 2023

Earlier, a group of alumnae of Kalakshetra Foundation, had come out in support of Hari Padman, claiming that his conduct was good when they studied under him and that the case against him was fabricated.

However, leftist media outlets like The News Minute which had gone on a tirade against Kalakshetra Foundation accusing the institution of trying to silence voices and shielding the accused has gone silent now.

Insiders from Kalakshetra who do not find themselves quoted in the mainstream media, say that this entire episode has been because of three teachers namely – Nirmala Nagarajan, Nandini Nagarajan and Indhu Nideesh – who harbour professional rivalry against Haripadman.

Divya Hari Padman, in her complaint to the Chennai Police Commissioner, had said that the students had lodged a false complaint against her husband at the instigation of Kalashetra professors Nirmala Nagarajan and Nandini Nagarajan.

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post Kalakshetra Row: Hari Padman Gets Bail By Default As Police Fail To File Chargesheet appeared first on The Commune.

The controversy surrounding Kalakshetra Foundation about alleged sexual harassment in the institution started when its former director Leela Samson made damning accusation in her Facebook post.

In her now-deleted Facebook post, Leela had accused a teacher (who she did not name) of sexual harassment and even linked him with another girl student calling her his ‘mistress’.

She had claimed that because of the said teacher, one of the alleged victims had an abortion and that she wanted to marry him.

In the next line, Leela Samson alleged that the teacher has an intern as a “mistress” and publicly shamed her by naming her . The context, tone and tenor of Leela Samson’s post gives away that she had used the word “mistress” with a sexual connotation.

The aggrieved intern who goes by the handle Believeinkarma (@karmayogi_06) on Twitter had registered a complaint against Leela Samson for unwarrantedly tarnishing her and outraging her modesty in public forum.

The Adyar All Women Police Station which is investigating the allegations against Kalakshetra Foundation and Haripadman, is also probing the complaint against Leela Samson.

According to journalist Sandhya Ravishankar, the police closed the complaint against Samson and when the complainant had asked the reason, she was told that “mistress” means “ejamaani” (in Tamil ejamaani means a feudal landlady).

Apparently when Leela Samson was questioned, the explanation she offered was that she meant the word Mistress to be “leader” since the intern took tuitions for Haripadman’s son.

The police were reportedly satisfied with this explanation and closed the case as Leela Samson had already took down her post.

The aggrieved student has alleged that Leela Samson has been made to go scot free despite it being a clear case of cyber bullying, harassment, and defamation.

“Take it to the court”, Leela Samson had apparently told the student victim.

'TAKE IT TO THE COURT' this is what she told me.
Ma'am, you don't have to worry about my next step. The way you responded to all my questions will also be taken to the court. Completely lost my trust over the Police.
Anyway, Thanks https://t.co/oDW0FHu1mY

— Believe in Karma (@karmayogi_06) May 31, 2023

It must be noted that Leela Samson’s Facebook posts along with articles published by the likes of The News Minute had snowballed into a controversy with full fledged protests by students with the institution closing down temporarily. Dance teacher Haripadman, who became the main target of the protest is now in Puzhal jail with his bail application being rejected by the Saidapet court.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) which had taken cognizance of the case has so far found no evidence to support the allegations.

The NCW has been asking concerned persons to appear before them to take necessary action.

The NCW had asked Leela Samson to present herself before the commission on 11 April 2023.

However, Leela Samson through her lawyer Vrinda Grover had e-mailed the commission on 7 April 2023 that she was in Australia and that she is due for travel to India adding that for the next two weeks or so, Leela would not be able to present herself physically before the commission due to her engagements and restrictions in travel due to COVID vulnerability.

If one had to go by her claims in the email, Leela Samson was supposed to be quarantining in Delhi but she was found loitering around in Mumbai to participate in the cultural programmes at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre.

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post Kalakshetra Row: Police Close Case Against Leela Samson Who Called A Girl Student ‘Mistress’, Claims She Meant ‘Leader’ appeared first on The Commune.

In a development that has largely gone unreported, many students of Kalakshetra Foundation who were investigated by the police have not made any sexual harassment charges against the institution’s teacher Haripadman who is now behind bars in Puzhal jail.

Following a complaint from one of his former students, Hari Padman, a Kalakshetra alumnus and teacher at the institute since 2002, was arrested on 3 April 2023, on charges of alleged sexual harassment and criminal intimidation. Hari Padman was apprehended from Madhavaram, north Chennai, and remains in judicial custody.

The Kalakshetra Foundation’s board of directors had formed an independent inquiry committee to look into allegations of sexual harassment leveled against several teachers. In addition to suspending Padman pending the outcome of the investigation, the board had also terminated the services of three other teaching faculty members: Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan, and Sreenath.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) which had taken cognizance of the case found no evidence to support the allegations.

The Tamil Nadu State Commission for Women had also began to look into the allegations and obtained statements from students. AS Kumari, the head of Tamil Nadu State Women’s Commission had given an interview to a YouTube channel in which she alleges that she got more than 100 complaints of sexual harassment, casteism etc.

Accordingly, the State Women’s Commission submitted a report to the police and recommended that 162 girl students from Kalashetra be investigated.

Around 15 female students were investigated by police from the Adyar All Women Police Station in the last two weeks but most of the students did not make any accusations of sexual harassment against Hari Padman, other teachers or the institution. Each student was reportedly investigated in person or at their homes. A few students reportedly told the police that they had nothing to do with the complaint and said that they did not make any sexual harassment charges against Hari Padman. They told the police that the teachers at Kalakshetra are kind and share good respect. The rest of the 162 complaints will be investigated in the coming days.

Earlier, a group of alumnae of Kalakshetra Foundation, had come out in support of Hari Padman, claiming that his conduct was good when they studied under him and that the case against him was fabricated.

However, leftist media outlets like The News Minute which had gone on a tirade against Kalakshetra Foundation accusing the institution of trying to silence voices and shielding the accused has gone silent now and has not even reported about this development.

Insiders from Kalakshetra who do not find themselves quoted in the mainstream media, say that this entire episode has been because of three teachers namely – Nirmala Nagarajan, Nandini Nagarajan and Indhu Nideesh – who harbour professional rivalry against Haripadman.

Divya Hari Padman, in her complaint to the Chennai Police Commissioner, had said that the students had lodged a false complaint against her husband at the instigation of Kalashetra professors Nirmala Nagarajan and Nandini Nagarajan.

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post Kalakshetra Case: Students Report No Sexual Harassment Charges Against Hari Padman During Police Investigation appeared first on The Commune.

Leela Samson, the former director of Kalakshetra Foundation whose Facebook post was instrumental in starting the sexual harassment controversy surrounding the institution, has failed to appear before the National Commission for Women for enquiry.

In her now-deleted Facebook post, Leela had accused a teacher (who she did not name) of sexual harassment and even linked him with another girl student calling her his ‘mistress’.

She had also written in her Facebook “A public institution, a haven of the highest art and contemplation — now turning a blind eye to how young girls are treated. They are vulnerable. A male member of the staff is known to be threatening and molesting them, who are not yet adults.”.

In another Facebook post she accused the entire staff of knowing about the “malaise in Kalakshetra” but turning a blind eye.

“These teachers simply do not have a conscience. As long as what is happening is happening, to someone else’s daughter and not their own.”, she had written.

Leela Samson’s Facebook posts along with articles published by the likes of The News Minute had snowballed into a controversy with full fledged protests by students with the institution closing down temporarily.

The Kalakshetra Foundation’s board of directors had formed an independent inquiry committee to look into allegations of sexual harassment leveled against several teachers. In addition to suspending Padman pending the outcome of the investigation, the board had also terminated the services of three other teaching faculty members: Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan, and Sreenath. Haripadman is now in Puzhal jail with his bail application being rejected by the Saidapet court.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) which had taken cognizance of the case has so far found no evidence to support the allegations.

The NCW has been asking concerned persons to appear before them to take necessary action.

In light of this, the NCW had asked Leela Samson to present herself before the commission on 11 April 2023.

However, Leela Samson through her lawyer Vrinda Grover had e-mailed the commission on 7 April 2023 that she was in Australia and that she is due for travel to India.

“She will be in Kochi, and then arrive in New Delhi, where she will be in quarantine for one week as per Covid protocols since she is a senior citizen with heightened vulnerability to Covid.”, wrote Vrinda Grover representing Leela Samson adding that for the next two weeks or so, Leela would not be able to present herself physically before the commission.

Citing these circumstances, Leela Samson requested time to present herself before the commission on any date after 25 April 2023.

The NCW accepted to the postponement of hearing adding that the they will inform the next date shortly.

However, it is worth mentioning that Leela has been in India for a while now. Her claims of being in Australia at the time of sending the email is being disputed. There are no dates given in the email about when she will be coming to India.

Leela’s e-mail itself has left people baffled as she had mentioned that she will be coming to Kochi first and then to Delhi where she will be quarantined for a week. However, if she is coming into India through Kochi, she will have to quarantine herself in Kochi and not Delhi.

Even if one has to go by her claims, Leela Samson was not found quarantining in Delhi but was found loitering around in Mumbai.

Leela Samson was in Mumbai to participate in the cultural programmes at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre. (NMACC)

On 19 April 2023, a picture of her posing with a group of dancers at the NMACC popped on social media.

On 20 April 2023, NMACC had shared a video on their social media in which Leela says “I’m so very happy that we’re performing here tonight…We had enjoyed both days. This is our second day.” indicating that she has been in Mumbai since 19 April 2023.

She was found loitering around with her dance company in the streets of Mumbai.

It is to be noted that, Leela Samson in her email to the NCW through her lawyer had made no mention of her travel plans to Mumbai.

A few sources inside Kalakshetra have questioned why she has not yet made herself available to the NCW despite being present in India, especially since she had levelled serious charges against Kalakshetra.

“Why has she not taken it seriously and attended the summon to explain whatever she knows”, an alumni of Kalakshetra questioned.

One of the girls whom she had named in her Facebook post says that her career and reputation has been destroyed, and is in near depression due to the false allegations against her, while Leela is going around with her performances.

About Leela Samson

Leela Samson was the director of Kalakshetra Foundation till April 2012. She was forced to resign after a former Kalakshetra teacher CS Thomas filed a writ petition against her in 2011 for holding on to the post, despite turning 60, the age limite for government personnel.

A CAG report from her tenure at Kalakshetra accused the organization of financial irregularities. Irregularities in appointment were reported by Principal Accountant-General (PAG), Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. According to the report, “16 appointments made during Leela Samson’s tenure were not as per the rules/norms prescribed for the same and hence irregular”.

In 2019, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a corruption case against Leela Samson and 3 other Kalakshetra officials for financial irregularities.

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post Kalakshetra Controversy: Leela Tells NCW She Can’t Appear As She Is In Aus And Has Travel Plans to Kochi & Delhi, Found Chilling In Mumbai appeared first on The Commune.