A battle well fought by a few

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “There is no doubt… the larger public interest justifies disclosure…” This is what paragraph 41 of a 30-page order issued by the State Information Commission on July 5 reads. It continues in paragraph 43: “The flow of information should not be an unregulated flood, nor a waterfall washing away every norm and procedure. It should be controlled, but only as permitted under the RTI Act, and no other.”

It was the sheer determination and perseverance of one person, standing like a rock against bureaucratic red tape, legal loopholes and bureaucratic apathy, that made Kerala wake up to the grim realities of the Malayalam village and the dirty secrets that had long remained hidden.

State Information Commissioner (SIC) A Abdul Hakkim fought a lonely battle to ensure that the larger public interest underlying the Justice Hema Committee report was served. After considering the appeals of five applicants – some of whom were years old and wanted a copy of the report – Hakkim took a firm decision to keep the spirit of the RTI Act intact and chose to look beyond the technicalities for the greater good.

However, he had to walk a tightrope to issue an order that has virtually opened a Pandora’s box in the Malayalam film industry, revealing a dark side of sexual exploitation, casting couch, gender discrimination and gross financial exploitation. This has also turned out to be a victory of the sustained efforts of five journalists over several years. The SIC order itself shows the extent of effort that went into this.

“One of the appeals was considered and rejected by the then Chief Information Commissioner four years ago. The officials of the cultural affairs department came up with various excuses to avoid submitting the report. Even when they were directed to submit the report to the SIC for consideration, the respondents said they consulted with the cultural affairs minister, the state cabinet, awaited legal advice and what not,” a source told TNIE on condition of anonymity.

Ultimately, the report was only submitted after the SIC warned of legal action, the source said.

“It clearly shows the reluctance of a partisan group of officials. Strangely enough, the top echelons of the state government have always been open to the idea of ​​releasing it under RTI,” the source said.