Kerala high court slams state government over Hema committee report: ‘You have done nothing’
The Kerala high court criticised the state government for its inaction over the sexual harassment allegations that have emerged in the Malayalam film industry.
The Kerala high court came down heavily on the state government on Tuesday for its inaction in registering cases based on the findings of a report by the Hema Committee, which exposed the sexual misconduct in the Malayalam film industry, reported India Today.
The special division bench comprising Justice AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice CS Sudha, directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the state to submit a report detailing actions taken by the government and refused to gag the media in this case.
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The high court criticised the government for lapses in action even though the Hema Committee had been formed in 2017 with the purpose of investigating sexual misconduct in the Malayalam film industry and its findings had been available to the government since 2019.
“We are primarily concerned with inaction of the state, including not registering FIRs... You have done nothing in 4 years except sit on the report,” said the court.
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After the 235 page report was made available to the public on August 19, several allegations of sexual harassment and abuse against powerful players of the Malayalam film industry have emerged.
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The entire Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) along with its 17-member executive committee was dissolved following allegations of sexual abuse made by several female actors against prominent Malayalam cinema figures, including director Ranjith and actors Siddique and Mukesh.
Other popular figures in Malayalam cinema Jayasurya, Edavela Babu and Maniyanpilla Raju were also booked in sexual assault cases.
While the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government has formed a seven member SIT, the state has faced flak for the lack of material action against the alleged perpetrators.
Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, V D Satheesan, also criticised the government for their ‘anti-women’ stance, saying, “Why hasn't the government investigated the crimes revealed in the Hema Committee report? Why hasn't action been taken against those who committed crimes against women and children, despite laws stating that covering up sexual offences is a crime?”, reported news agency PTI.