CPI(M) rules out resignation of actor-MLA Mukesh, accused in sexual abuse case

The apex decision-making body of the CPI-M’s Kerala unit, which met in Thiruvananthapuram for the past two days, on Saturday, August 31, ruled that actor and party legislator Mukesh — against whom an FIR has been lodged over allegations of sexual abuse — need not resign as a legislator.

A female actor has accused Mukesh of sexually assaulting her. Mukesh has been charged under sections 354 (assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

“A campaign has been launched demanding Mukesh’s resignation. We have done a detailed analysis and found that 16 MPs and 135 state legislators across the country are facing trial in similar cases,” CPI-M state secretary MV Govindan told mediapersons on Saturday.

“Around 54 BJP MPs, 23 Congress MPs and 13 AAP MPs, among others, are facing similar cases, but none has resigned so far. Even in Kerala, two opposition MPs are facing trial, one of whom has also been jailed. Many other prominent leaders in the state, including (late) Oommen Chandy, Kunhalikutty, Hibi Eden, Shashi Tharoor, Peethambara Kurup and AP Anil Kumar, were facing other cases, but they never gave up,” Govindan added.

The CPI-M leader added that if a legislator resigns and is later acquitted, he or she will not get his or her MLA status back.

“But we want to make it clear that Mukesh will not get any benefits because of his status as a legislator in the pending case. However, the party has decided to remove him from the committee formed to draft measures for a new cinema policy,” Govindan said.

He also said that the Hema committee, whose report recently exposed the widespread sexual exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry, was “just a panel”.

The Justice Hema Committee report has established the widespread prevalence of sexual harassment against women in the film industry. The report was recently made public, following which many survivors have come forward to name their perpetrators.

“If it was a judicial committee, the report would have been placed in the Assembly. Since the Hema committee was only a panel, the Kerala government will take action on the basis of the report. Action has already been taken on 24 points. No other state in the country has appointed such a committee,” Govindan alleged.

He added that the state government has formed a seven-member special investigation team, including four women IPS officers, to probe the cases registered after the Hema Commission report was made public.

“Eleven cases have been registered on the basis of various complaints. The government has nothing to hide… A legislator from the ruling party has also been charged, so let the investigation continue,” Govindan said.

The Justice Hema Committee was set up in 2017 by the Kerala government based on a petition by the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) to investigate the challenges faced by women in the industry.

In December 2019, the Committee had submitted its findings to the Kerala government, but the report was made public only recently. The report has highlighted several issues ranging from sexual abuse and lack of complaint redressal systems to lack of toilet facilities for women on film sets.

With IANS inputs