Madras HC warns Kalakshetra foundation of contempt action if perpetrator not prohibited from campus 

The Madras High Court on Thursday asked the Kalakshetra Foundation to ensure that Hari Padman, who was accused of sexually harassing female students in the institute, does not enter the campus. The court also warned of contempt action if the perpetrator entered the campus. Senior Counsel R Vaigai appearing for the students, said that Hari Padman, who has been suspended following allegations of sexual harassment, has been visiting the institution under the pretext of dropping his wife, who also teaches at the institution, The newsMinute reported. Counsels of the petitioners also informed the court that Hari Padman participated in the Onam celebration that was held on the campus of the college. Students of RDFCA had come forward with sexual harassment allegations against Hari Padman and three other staff, Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan and Srinath. Hari Padman was arrested on April 3 and is now out on bail. Last month, an independent inquiry committee set up to probe the allegations of sexual harassment found him guilty of suspicious misconduct. The Court made this observation while hearing pleas filed by the students of Kalashetra’s Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts seeking reconstitution of the Foundation’s Internal Committee. The petitioners also sought the suspension of the alleged perpetrators of sexual harassment and the implementation of a gender-neutral safety policy to deal with sexual harassment at the institution. The court observed, “It is your [institution’s] duty to make sure that he [suspended faculty] does not enter the institution. If not, it will invite contempt. You are not sending the right message.”