Kerala School Youth Fest: Vigilance book case against judges, dance teacher
- Vigilance wing booked the case based on a complaint filed by a student
- On quick verification it was found that the accused took ₹1.5 lakh as bribe
- Student alleged that dance teacher had earlier asked her to be his disciple
FollowKerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau registered a case against a dance teacher and two judges who evaluated Kuchipudi performance at State School Youth Festival, 2017, that concluded at Kannur. The Vigilance sleuths booked the case based on a quick verification report.
During quick verification, it was found that the accused took ₹1.5lakh bribe. The Vigilance took action based on a complaint filed by Athira S, a student who contested in Kuchipudi event in Higher Secondary category. She had lodged a complaint against dance teacher Anshad Assez and judges Vedanta Mouli and Vijaya Shanker. Vigilance registered a case for corruption and conspiracy.
Athira complained that the dance teacher manipulated the results of Kuchipudi performance by influencing judges and had revealed results two hours before the official declaration came. She also alleged that the dance teacher had earlier asked the student to be his disciple and demanded ₹1 lakh for classes and warned her that refusing would cost her the prize. The teacher also mentioned the names of judges and the same persons were on the judges panel.
Athira, who came to attend state-level competition after winning first in district level got the 41st place with less than 70% marks. Only 45 students had taken part in the competition, and on filing an appeal, she grabbed A grade. She alleges that teacher influenced judges to give her less mark.
Based on her complaint Vigilance team conducted a quick verification and it was found that the teacher and judges had colluded to manipulate results. It is learnt that the Vigilance sleuths has demanded video footage of the competition and judgment documents for further inquiry.
The Vigilance Bureau had kept a close tab on the 600 judges who evaluated the performance of more than 12, 000 students who took part in over 240 competitions in Kalolsavam 2017, the largest festival of youths in Asia.
