Few events at the State School Arts Festival are more aesthetically appealing than classical dance. But, the stiff, and sometimes unhealthy, competition in the event has also led to some of the ugliest episodes at the festival. Corruption among judges has been a major issue for a long time.
A couple of years ago, The Hindu had exposed how a judge had given 19 marks when the maximum was 15 for footwork in Bharatanatyam and donated additional five marks in the grand total. The Directorate of Public Instruction blacklisted that judge, who has never returned to the festival. Corruption, however, has stayed.
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau had investigated a complaint against two judges, as well as a dance teacher, at the Kuchipudi competition in last year’s festival in Kannur. The report has been submitted, and according to sources, it was found that there was a lot of merit in the complaint. It could soon come up before the Vigilance court at Thalassery.
The complaint was that dance teacher Anshad Azeez had asked the mother of a contestant to pay ₹1.5 lakh if she wanted the first prize and claimed that he was close to two of the judges.
She refused to pay up, but her daughter only got ‘B’ Grade. Moreover, a schoolmate of hers, who had come through the appeal route, was ranked higher. Another student of the teacher in question had also won a prize.
The higher appeal committee, after viewing the videos, felt that deliberate errors were committed by judges and the results had to be altered. The Vigilance, according to sources, found that there was evidence to back up the charges and that attempts had been made to manipulate the judgment. Circle Inspectors Madhusoodanan Nair and G. Balachandran had investigated the case.
The involvement of Vigilance seems to have some effect, as more than half-a-dozen judges opted out of the panel hours before the festival started. That doesn’t mean all judges here are above suspicion.
Allegations
There are allegations that at least one person with a poor reputation judged dance competition. Anshad Azeez insists he isn’t the only one who needs to be probed. “I know that at least three judges at the dance competitions are corrupt,” he said. “How come such judges are included in the panel?”
However, it would be unfair to point fingers at all judges. The Director of Public Instruction had tried to cleanse the system by not entrusting the job of appointing judges to employees with dubious reputation.
Corruption is much more blatant at the sub-district and district levels. And that is actually the main reason behind the large number of appeal entries at the State festival.
