Kalakshetra row: Madras HC calls sexual harassment allegations ‘extremely disturbing’

The Madras High Court has directed Chennai’s Kalakshetra Foundation to immediately consider implementing the recommendations made by an independent inquiry committee headed by former judge K Kannan, in the sexual harassment allegations against faculties of the institution. Justice Anita Sumanth, in the order, called the allegations “distasteful” and “extremely disturbing”, also adding that it was “a blight on Kalakshetra” that such allegations were being made for long by the students without being effectively and promptly addressed.

Some students of Kalashetra’s Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts (RDFCA) filed a batch of pleas seeking reconstitution of the Foundation’s Internal Committee. They also sought the suspension of the alleged perpetrators of sexual harassment at the campus and the implementation of a gender-neutral safety policy to deal with sexual and other kinds of harassment at the institution.

The inquiry committee was set up by Kalakshetra Foundation with Justice Kannan as the head, and former Deputy Inspector General of Tamil Nadu police Letika Saran and Dr Shoba Varthaman as members. The committee probed the allegations of sexual harassment levelled by students of RDFCA against senior faculty Hari Padman and three members of the repertory — Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan, and Srinath.

TNM had accessed the operative part of the report, that found Hari Padman guilty of gross misconduct. The report further stated that legal assistance should be provided for the students who complained of sexual misbehaviour from three other faculties to register their complaints with the police.

Read: Exclusive: Kalakshetra probe recommends police cases against 3 teachers

The HC said that it was “confident that suitable remedial measures are in place internally to deal with” the allegations of sexual harassment levelled by the students and also observed that changes have been effected by the Foundation. “A draft of the Gender Neutral Policy for Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal of Sexual Harassment Complaints has been circulated at the instance of the petitioners and has been exchanged, debated, and discussed with the respondents. During the hearings, it took shape into a Gender Neutral Policy that both sides approved. There were minute nuances that were addressed in the course of the hearings and resolved to the satisfaction of the parties,” Justice Anita noted.

The HC also pointed out that the policy dealt with adults but not children, and ordered to formulate a new policy with the applicable provisions in the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2002 as well as other regulations and guidelines within six months of the order.

Stating that the report of the independent committee was “graphic”, the court said that “the allegations are distasteful to say the least and extremely disturbing.” The court also directed the Foundation to urgently consider the recommendations of the committee and that the recommendations relating to the removal of faculty members alleged of sexual harassment “must be carried out on priority”.

While the order of the Madras HC was passed on December 21, 2023, it was only uploaded to the HC website on Thursday, February 22.