Kerala HC slams state govt for inaction on Justice Hema Committee report

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday pulled up the Left government in the state saying its inaction on the Justice Hema Committee report was "alarming."

A special division bench of Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and C S Sudha said the government got the report years ago and ought to have immediately responded and directed that the full report be handed over to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to take requisite action.

It also asked why the state was silent for so long.

The bench said women are more in number in Kerala and asked what the state was doing about the problems being faced by them in society.

It said the government took action only more than four years after it got the report.

It directed the government to hand over the full report of the committee to the SIT constituted to look into the complaints of sexual harassment and assaults by female actors against some of their male counterparts and others in the film industry.

The bench said the SIT can take action based on the report and the court will examine on the next date what steps have been taken by the special team.

At the same time, the court also said that the SIT should not act in haste and that the details of the victims and the accused should not be disclosed.

The court also refused to issue any gag order, but said that the media should restrain itself and directed the police not to disclose unnecessary details of the cases they are investigating.

The court also said that there should be comprehensive legislation on the issue and directed the government to file an affidavit, indicating steps taken by it, before the next date of hearing on October 3.

During the hearing, the Advocate General, appearing for the state, said that steps, including constituting an SIT, have been taken and 23 cases have been lodged based on the complaints by female actors.

The Justice Hema Committee was constituted by the Kerala government after the 2017 actress assault case and its report revealing instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry.

Following the allegations of sexual harassment and exploitation cropping up against several actors and directors in the wake of the report being made public, the state government on August 25 announced the establishment of a seven-member special investigation team to probe them.