Kerala High Court Slams Vijayan Government's Inaction On Hema Committee Report Alleging Sexual Harassment In Malayalam Film Industry

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday (10 September) questioned the Pinarayi Vijayan government's inactiveness on the Hema Committee report alleging sexual harassment in the Malayalam film industry.

"Why was the State government inactive till now, even though it received the report in 2019?" the court said alleging that the Left Front government only sat on the report for four years.

A special bench of Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and C S Sudha instructed the state government to provide the complete Hema Committee report to the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

The seven-member SIT was formed by Chief Minister Vijayan last month to probe the atrocities faced by women actors, as the pressure mounted due to the Hema Committee report.

"Then we will open the sealed cover and see if the SIT’s action or inaction is justified. If audio and video recordings are part of the Report, they can also be handed over to the SIT," the bench said.

The order was passed in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Navas A who sought a directive for the state government to begin criminal proceedings against the accused.

A total of 23 cases have been filed at various police stations and subsequently transferred to the SIT. However, these cases stem from complaints made after the report's release, not from the report itself.

Questioning this, the court said, "Prima facie offences under the IPC (Indian Penal Code) and POCSO (Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences) Act are made out. Why no action?"