Renowned Bharatnatyam danseuse Leela Samson has resigned as chairperson of Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Minister of State for Culture Shripad Yesso Naik was quoted by Press Trust of India saying that her resignation, which was received on September 30, has been accepted.
Senior Ministry bureaucrats and Ms. Samson, who has a year of her tenure left, were tight-lipped although sources confirmed the development.
Ms. Samson, who was earlier Director of Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai, continues as the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification although she has completed the three-year term. In 2012, the order of reinstatement of Ms. Samson as Kalakshetra Foundation Director was set aside by the Madras High Court.
Interestingly, the terms of several members of the executive board of the Sangeet Natak Akademi have also expired and once Ms. Samson formally moves out, no major decisions can be taken until a new leadership is put in place. The Akademi is an autonomous body fully funded by the Ministry of Culture.
