Kalakshetra row: Bail petition of Hari Padman dismissed

CHENNAI: The Chennai Principal Sessions Court on Tuesday dismissed the bail petition of Hari Padman, an assistant professor of Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts under the Kalakshetra Foundation, who was arrested recently on charges of sexual harassment.

Following a complaint from a former woman student who had discontinued her studies in 2019, the All Women Police, Adyar booked Hari Padman under IPC Sections 354A (sexual harassment) and was arrested on April 3 by the city police and remanded in judicial custody.

As his bail plea was dismissed by the Metropolitan Magistrate Court he then moved to Chennai Principal Sessions Court for bail.

When this bail plea came up for hearing before the Principal Judge of City Sessions Court S Alli, opposing the bail, the counsel representing City Police said that the investigation has revealed some other people are involved in the case and therefore a thorough investigation should be conducted.

"If bail is granted in the present scenario, there is a high possibility of disposing of the witnesses. Also, the Tamil Nadu State Commission for Women, which investigated the complaints, said in its report to the government that the students were subjected to sexual harassment and the students reporting these complaints were threatened and many were afraid to file a plaint. Therefore, considering the serious nature of this case, the court should not grant bail to Hari Padman," he argued.

Objecting this, counsel representing Padman submitted that the complaint was filed against him for revenge and that the police had made arrests without giving any legal opportunity and that the plaintiff is ready to cooperate with the investigation and accept the conditions imposed by the court and therefore he should be granted bail.

Subsequently, interlocutory petitions were filed against granting of bail to Hari Padman by the complainants and the TN State Commission for Women.

After hearing all sides, S Alli, Principal Judge dismissed the bail petition.