Lower court told to complete trial pending against Padman

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court (MHC) directed the lower court to complete the trial pending against Hari Padman, a former assistant professor of Kalakshetra Foundation in an alleged sexual harassment case.

Justice N Anand Venkatesh directed the lower court to complete the trial within four months and directed to remand the petitioner if he adopts any dilatory tactics while dealing with the plea of Hari Padman seeking to quash the criminal case pending against in Saidapet Metropolitan Magistrate court.

The trial should be conducted on a day-to-day basis in accordance with the guidelines given by the Supreme Court in the Vinod Kumar vs State of Punjab (2015) case, wrote the judge. After perusing the materials, the judge wrote that the petitioner had been a hard taskmaster with his students and his approach towards students was always in the realm of debate.

The judge is not inclined to interfere with the proceedings pending before the Saidapet Metropolitan Magistrate Court.

On March 30, 2023, the students staged a protest raising sexual harassment allegations and demanded the suspension of these faculty members, including Hari Padman, an assistant professor.

Following that a former student of Kalakshetra, who discontinued her studies in 2019, lodged a sexual harassment complaint against Hari Padman.

Based on the complaint, the Adyar police booked a case against Hari Padman including 354 (A), 509 of IPC, and Section 4 of Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 2002. The case has been pending before Saidapet Metropolitan Magistrate Court since July 2023.

The case against Kalakshetra professor has been pending before Saidapet Magistrate Court since July 2023