Kalakshetra, corrupt kshetra. Rs. 3 cr fraud during Samson's tenure -- Pioneer

Under her directorship in 2005 to 2012, Leela Samson entered into a contract with a private company for the video documentation of the dance dramas choreographed by late Rukmini Devi Arundale, the founder of the Kalakshetra. Justice S Mohan, former Judge of the Supreme Court and the then Chairman of Kalakshetra says the contract smacks of massive irregularities and violation of basic rules. 

In a letter addressed to Abhijit Sengupta, the then Cultural Secretary of the Government of India, the Justice has given a detailed  account of how rules and laws of the land were blatantly violated by Leela Samson. “On 25th October 2006, Leela Samson entered into a contract with M/s Madhu Ambat Productions, Chennai, for video documentation of Rukmini Devi’s dance drams.

The contract was spread over three years and the total cost of the project was `3 crore. The contract is opposed to all canons of Governmental contracts. No tenders were invited. The chairman or no one was made aware of this contract. The director herself   unilaterally entered into the contract with M/s Madhu Ambat Productions,” says the letter written by Justice Mohan. He pointed out that Samson had no legal authority either from the Government of India or from the Governing Board . Equally shocking was the observation Madhu Ambat was a person unknown in the field of documentation. According to Justice Mohan, the Financial Adviser to the Union Government had raised queries on the methodology adopted for selection of  Madhu Ambat and the remuneration.

As expected the CAG found out the discrepancies. “When Leela Samson was questioned by the governing board about the objections by the FA and the CAG, she produced the original contract on the next day. She then arranged to get a back-dated stamp paper and created a fresh contract covering only six dance dramas at a cost of `90 lakh in total and eliminating the penalty, damages and termination clauses. Further investigations proved that there was a three-phase contract to the tune of `3 crore,” said Justice Mohan.

Another revelation was that the director of Kalakshetra Foundation submitted a fake  contract. “The contract for the sum of `90 lakh produced by the director was a fake one. She seems to have obtained a back-dated stamp paper and typed only the documentation of six dance dramas. This clearly constitutes a fraudulent action,” says Justice Mohan’s letter, a copy of which is with The Pioneer.

The auditors of the Union Government found out yet another malpractice committed by the director. It deals with stamp papers used for signing the contracts with M/s Madhu Ambat Productions.

“The stamp papers purchased on 3-9-2006 were from Madurai from a vendor without registration number and agreement was entered into on 25th October 2006. However, another stamp paper purchased on October 25, 2006 was from a registered vendor in Chennai for the agreement entered into with the same agency on the same date. The reason for purchase of stamp paper for the contract to be entered on the same date with the same agency with different witnesses may be elucidated to audit it,” said the report.

Though Kalakshetra officials said that an explanation has been given to the CAG, the latter is not yet convinced.

Justice Mohan, who has been trained in financial matters, himself was in for more shock when he found that a private individual has been awarded contracts worth `1.2 crore under the pretext of renovation of modification of the Foundation’s kitchen and renovation of the Central Office.

The Justice wrote to Ambika Soni, the then Union Minister for Culture, but no action was taken. It is said that Soni is a close friend of Samson. “That is the reason for her appointment as chairperson of Sangeeth Natak Academy and Central Board of Film Certification. Many people asked questions about the impropriety in same person occupying three important positions in the Centre, it went unheeded as Samson is no ordinary person,” said a senior faculty member.

Awarding the documentation works to Madhu Ambat and the civil contract works to an agency has been described as irregular by the Principal Accountant General. It also found that civil works to the tune of nearly `one crore were executed without following the established tender procedures and `63 lakh were spent violating all basic norms under the pretext of up-gradation of sound system in Kalakshetra. Sound and lighting equipment worth `1 crore were also purchased without observing procedures, said the report.

The irregularities and contract appointments are made at a time when former teachers of Kalaksetra like  Thomas, Balagopal, Janardhanan struggle to meet both ends of life with the pittance  offered to them as pension. “My monthly pension is `800. It is what I get for serving the Foundation for more than four decades,” said Thomas.