Leela Samson. | Photo credit: The Hindu
The Madras High Court on Tuesday (March 17, 2026) quashed the pending criminal case against renowned Bharatanatyam dancer and former director of the Kalakshetra Foundation Leela Samson, 74, after it settled the matter by paying ₹800,000 to the complainant, a dance student whom she described as her ‘lover’ on Facebook at her faculty.
Justice M. Nirmal Kumar granted the quashing motion filed by Ms. Samson after both she and the complainant appeared in court and said the matter had been settled amicably between them. The complainant stated that she was not interested in proceeding with the criminal proceedings under Section 509 (outraging the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code.
“In view of the fact that the petitioner and the second respondent have resolved their issue and since the offense under Section 509 IPC is complex in nature, this court in exercise of its jurisdiction under Section 482 of the CrPC is inclined to quash the proceedings,” the judge wrote while quashing the case pending at the XIII Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Chenna Saiidapet.
The judge was told that Ms. Samson made an inappropriate post on Facebook on December 23, 2022. The dance trainee, outraged by the uproar it caused among social circles, filed a police complaint on March 23, 2023, saying that the defamatory and contemptuous post, degrading the relationship she had with her academic mentor in her life, had caused immense life trauma and trauma.
The complainant was also directed by the Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court to register a First Information Report (FIR) and therefore the Adyar All Women Police registered a case against Mrs. Samson on 20 July 2023. She also completed the investigation by questioning a number of witnesses and filed a charge sheet against her before the IX Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Saidapet on November 17, 20.
Meanwhile, the complainant also filed a civil suit against Ms. Samson in the Chennai City Civil Court. which matter proceeded to mediation. The mediation was successful, with both parties signing a settlement agreement on 15 April 2025. Under the terms of the settlement, the former director of the Kalakshetra Foundation undertook to express remorse publicly through a post on her Facebook page.
Accordingly, a Facebook post expressing regret was made available on her page between 16 June 2025 and 16 September 2025. She further agreed to pay the complainant ₹4 million before withdrawing the civil suit and another ₹4 million before dropping the criminal case. Both payments were made on time and therefore the complainant submitted an affidavit to the High Court expressing his unwillingness to pursue the case further.
Published – 17 March 2026 20:49 IST
