Leela Samson pays ₹8 lakh for terming dance intern as ‘mistress’ in her Facebook post, gets criminal case quashed

The Madras High Court on Tuesday (March 17, 2026) quashed a criminal case pending against renowned Bharatanatyam dancer and former director of Kalakshetra Foundation Leela Samson (74) after she settled the matter by paying ₹8 lakh to the complainant, a female dance intern, whom she had described as the “mistress” of a male faculty member in her Facebook post.

Justice M. Nirmal Kumar allowed the quash petition filed by Ms. Samson after she and also the complainant appeared before the court and stated that the matter had been resolved amicably between them. The complainant said, she was not interested in pursuing the criminal case booked under Section 509 (insult to the modesty of a woman) of Indian Penal Code.

“Taking into consideration that the petitioner and the second respondent have resolved their issue, and since the offence under Section 509 IPC is compoundable in nature, this court, in exercise of its jurisdiction under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, is inclined to quash the proceedings,” the judge wrote while quashing the case pending at the XIII Metropolitan Magistrate court in Saidapet, Chennai.

The judge was told that Ms. Samson had put out the objectionable Facebook post on December 23, 2022. Aggrieved over the upheal that it had created among social circles, the dance intern lodged a police complaint on March 23, 2023 stating that the derogatory and disparaging post, demeaning the relationship that she had with her mentor, had caused immense trauma to her in personal as well as academic life.

The complainant also obtained a direction from a Metropolitan Magistrate court to register a First Information Report (FIR) and hence the All Women Police in Adyar booked the case against Ms. Samson on July 20, 2023. They also completed the investigation by examining a number of witnesses and filed a charge sheet against her before the IX Metropolitan Magistrate court in Saidapet on November 17, 2023.

In the meantime, the complainant had also filed a civil suit against Ms. Samson before the Chennai city civil court. which had referred the issue for mediation. The mediation succeeded with both parties signing a settlement agreement on April 15, 2025. As per the terms of the agreement, the former director of Kalakshetra Foundation had agreed to express regret in public through a post on her Facebook page.

Accordingly, the Facebook post expressing regret was made available on her page between June 16, 2025 and September 16, 2025. Further, she agreed to pay ₹4 lakh to the complainant before withdrawing the civil suit and another ₹4 lakh before quashing of the criminal case. Both the payments were made on time and hence the complainant filed an affidavit before the High Court expressing unwillingness to prosecute the case any further.