Kalakshetra row: Hari Padman withdraws his bail plea

CHENNAI: The suspended faculty of Kalakshetra, Hari Padman, has withdrawn his bail petition in a sexual harassment case booked on the basis of a plaint filed by a former student of Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts run by the Foundation.

Hearing Hari Padman's bail plea, Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan decided to await the outcome of a petition filed by seven students of the Kalakshetra Foundation seeking a proper mechanism to redress sexual harassment complaints and adjourned the hearing to June 16.

Subsequently, the counsel for the petitioner made a request to Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan to withdraw the bail plea in a sexual harassment case and the court permitted them.

During the hearing, the counsel for the petitioner contended that the fellow teachers who did not like the developments had incited the students to file a false plaint against Hari Padman saying that the incident took place in 2019 and the plaint was filed after 4 years.

However, Additional Public Prosecutor A Damodharan submitted that the statements of 162 students have been recorded in connection with the case and they have made allegations against the petitioner. And, since the arrest of others involved in the case in required, bail should not be granted to Hari Padman and if it is granted then it will affect the investigation.

The Tamil Nadu State Commission for Women had filed an intervening petition and opposed grant of bail to the petitioner and explained that 103 students have been questioned and a report has been submitted to the government, and the High Court had adjourned the hearing filed by seven students of Kalakshetra Foundation to June 15.