A Chennai court, on Tuesday, April 11, dismissed the bail petition of Hari Padman - a senior dancer teacher in Kalakshetra Foundation's Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts (RDCFA) who was arrested on sexual harassment charges. IX Metropolitan Magistrate S Mohanambal accepted the prosecution’s contention that the investigation in the issue was at its early stage, and dismissed his bail application.
In March this year, several students accused the institution of propagating a toxic culture, and multiple students and alumni levelled allegations of sexual harassment against four faculty members: Hari Padman, Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan, and Sreenath. However, legal action has been taken only against Hari Padman, based on a complaint filed by an alumnus. He has been booked under sections 354A (sexual harassment) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and section 4 (penalty for harassment of woman) of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act. The Kalakshetra Foundation, meanwhile, dismissed the other three and placed Hari Padman under suspension. These actions were taken after the students staged an all-night protest inside the campus, alleging inaction.
Soon after these developments, Hari Padman’s wife filed a complaint petition to the Commissioner of Police alleging that the complaint against Hari was false and motivated. The complaint was forwarded to Adyar Deputy Commissioner for further inquiry.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu State Women’s Commission (SWC) has made seven recommendations to the state government, after their probe into the issue. The recommendations include legal action against the Kalakshetra Foundation’s administration; bringing the area around Kalakshetra under police surveillance so as to safeguard the evidence and protect witnesses; and setting up of redressal committees at Kalakshetra.