Kerala HC questions Vijayan govt’s silence on Hema Commission report

Kochi, Aug 22 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Kerala High Court on Thursday approved a PIL seeking registration of a criminal case based on the findings of the Hema Commission on the conditions and sexual exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry. The court came down strongly on the Vijayana government for suppressing the report for so long.

The court wondered why the report received by the Vijayawada government in 2019 should be kept without follow-up.

After accepting the PIL in their file, the court directed the government to file a detailed affidavit on their positions, hand over the entire Hema Commission report in a sealed envelope and sue the Kerala State Women’s Commission.

In the PIL, the applicant noted that it is strange that the state government has not taken any action on the report, even though the report has been with them since 2019.

The applicant further alleged that the state government had failed to register a case based on the Hema Commission report.

The Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque and Justice S. Manu said, “If a criminal offence is revealed in the commission, this court has to decide whether criminal action is necessary or not. The government cannot proceed with this case at this stage for the simple reason that no complaint has been filed by anyone. But the fact remains that the report reveals sexual exploitation and harassment of women. How these vulnerable women can be protected and what action can be taken against the perpetrators of the crime is something that the court has to address. Therefore, we are accepting this petition and awaiting the government’s position on this.”

The court also pointed out that the problem was that the parties wanted to remain anonymous and that they are a vulnerable group of women who do not want to report the harassment publicly.

It was further stated that this problem needs to be addressed and measures taken to protect these vulnerable women.

The court subsequently published the case on September 10.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader VD Satheesan reiterated that the Vijayana government is protecting the accused who misbehaved with the female actors. He also criticised the Vijayana government’s decision to organise a film conference to discuss the issues.

“What is the use of this conclave when the accused and victims will sit together? If such a conclave is held, the opposition will strongly prevent it,” Satheesan said.

Differences have emerged in Vijayan’s cabinet after state finance minister KN Balagopal said the state government may take action based on the report. However, CM Vijayan and state films minister Saji Cherian differed in their views.

“Now that the court has examined the report, we will wait for that and leave all other matters aside,” Cherian said.

The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) has remained stoically silent on the report. Sources said the association would hold a special meeting of its executive committee to discuss the explosive report.

Source: IANS

About Gopi

Gopi Adusumilli is a programmer. He is the Editor of SocialNews.XYZ and President of AGK Fire Inc.

He enjoys designing websites, developing mobile applications and publishing news articles on current events from various verified news sources.

When it comes to writing, he enjoys writing about current world politics and Indian movies. His future plans include developing SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgement towards anyone.

He can be reached at [email protected]