CBI books Leela Samson over Rs 7 crore unfruitful expenditure' on Chennai auditorium

New Delhi: The CBI has booked ace Bharatnatyam dancer and former Chairperson of Sangeet Natak Akademi Leela Samson for alleged "unfruitful expenditure" of Rs 7.02 crore on the renovation of Koothambalam auditorium of Kalakshetra Foundation, Chennai, officials said Saturday.

Samson, a Padma Shree awardee and also a former chairperson of Central Board of Film Certification, has been booked along with the then officers of the Foundation: Chief Accounts Officer TS Murthi, Accounts Officer S Ramachandran, Engineering officer V Srinivasan and proprietor of CARD and Chennai Engineers, they said.

In a complaint, the Chief Vigilance Officer of the Culture Ministry has alleged that the contract for the renovation work was awarded by the officials of the Foundation to consultant architect CARD in violation of General Finance Rules, they said.