NCW urges Kerala govt to make findings of Justice Hema panel public

The National Commission for Women has written to the Chief Secretary, Kerala to share the findings and recommendations of the Justice Hema Committee report with the public that studied the problems faced by women actors in the Malayalam film industry

New Delhi:The National Commission for Women has written to the Chief Secretary, Kerala to share the findings and recommendations of the Justice Hema Committee report with the public that studied the problems faced by women actors in the Malayalam film industry. Chairperson Rekha Sharma has sent a reminder to Dr. VP Joy, IAS, Chief Secretary, Kerala to release the findings of the report.

The committee, constituted in the aftermath of the actress sexual assault case of 2017, submitted the report to the government during the first term of Pinarayi Vijayan. However, the government did not table the report in the assembly. The National Commission for Women (NCW) will also approach members of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) regarding the issue. Subsequently, the Commission is also planning to conduct a separate inquiry into the matter.

The State government has not shared the details of the report claiming that it contains personal experiences and details of women in the industry. However, the Commission has observed that the observations and the recommendations derived by the Committee should be shared with the public and the complainants maintaining the details of the victims discreet.

The Commission via its letter dated 22.03.2022 had intimated the Chief Secretary to release the recommendations and observations of the Committee but even after a lapse of more than a month, the recommendation given by the Commission has not been complied with. Therefore, the Commission has sent a reminder to share the observations of the report with the public.