Kerala High Court slams state govt over Hema committee revelations: ‘Feminist perspective needed’

The Kerala High Court has slammed the state government for its alleged ‘inaction’ on the findings of the Justice Hema Commission report. The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned the state government for failing to take action after the shocking revelations of sexual harassment/assault were made in the Hema Commission report.

The court directed the government to hand over the sealed report to the Special Investigation Team (SIT). It also asked the SIT to examine the report and then file a detailed affidavit in a sealed envelope. However, the court also asked the investigating authority not to violate anyone’s privacy while examining the report.

The Supreme Court further stated that there should be no haste in the proceedings and added that whether an FIR is required or not can be decided only after considering the report. It also stated that if a deponent does not want to proceed with the complaint, the proceedings can be terminated.

“Kerala has more women than men. This is a problem faced by the majority in the state. It is not just a problem faced by women in the film industry. The government needs to respond urgently. The report has revealed serious crimes,” the court said.

The state court further suggested legislation to end sexual exploitation in the unorganised sector. “Something needs to be framed with a feminist perspective. Merely increasing female representation will not solve the problems,” the court said.

Last month, the findings of the Justice Hema Committee Report were made public, leaving everyone shocked. The report examined the working conditions for women in the Malayalam film industry and threw light on several alleged cases of sexual harassment or assault. So far, FIRs have been registered against several film personalities, including Mukesh, Siddique, Jayasurya, Edavela Babu, Nivin Pauly, Maniyan Pillai Raju, directors Ranjith, VK Prakash, production heads Vichu and Noble.

In the wake of this, Mohanlal also recently resigned as the president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists. He was the president of the association and had an executive committee of 17 members. However, all the members of the committee collectively submitted their resignations.