Madras high court to reconstitute Kalakshetra’s Internal Complaints Committee
The court was hearing a joint petition filed by seven students of Kalakshetra seeking a safe learning environment and redressal mechanism to deal with complaints on campus
The Madras high court on Monday said it will reconstitute the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) of Kalakshetra Foundation on April 24.
The court was hearing a joint petition filed by seven students of Kalakshetra seeking a safe learning environment and redressal mechanism to deal with complaints on campus.
Justice M Dhandapani who was hearing the case said that he will name a suitable person for the committee. The reconstitution was necessary to protect the interests of the students as well as Kalakshetra, he said.
Also Read: Sexual harassment complaint: Kalakshetra forms probe panel, sacks 3 teachers
The court has also called for the inquiry report of the Tamil Nadu State Women Commission on the sexual harassment charges against four faculty members in Kalakshetra Foundation.
The judge directed that the suspended assistant professor Hari Padman (against whom an FIR has been registered based on the complaint of an alumni) must be restricted from entering the campus and contacting the students.
The students did not wish to disclose their identity and had given their names to the court in a sealed cover so that they do not face repercussions for moving court.
The justice maintained that their identity would not be revealed. The court also instructed Kalakshetra to not take any action against any student for making a complaint and organising peaceful protests.
Advocate R Vaigai appeared for the students and additional solicitor general ARL Sundaresan appeared for the union government while advocate general R Shunmugasundaram appeared for the state.
Madras high court advocate BS Ajeetha had resigned as an external member of Kalakshetra Foundation’s ICC on April 4 saying that she was disturbed with the current incidents and the administration’s response to it.
Assistant professor Padman was the first to be accused by students of the Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts (in the Kalakshetra campus) but the foundation sought to dismiss their claims.
On March 19, Kalakshetra’s administration released a statement saying that their ICC found no truth in the allegations.
Kalakshetra’s students began protesting on March 30 demanding that four teachers including Padman be suspended for alleged sexual harassment against both female and male students.
The protest was temporarily called off on March 31 following the intervention of the head of the Tamil Nadu State Women Commission AS Kumari.
Padman was arrested by Chennai police earlier this month and was subsequently suspended pending inquiry.
The remaining three alleged perpetrators Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan and Sreenath “may be dispensed with immediate effect”, read the institute’s statement in early April.