Kerala HC did not criticise Left government on Hema report: Minister Saji Cherian

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala’s Culture Minister, Saji Cherian, dismissed claims on Wednesday that the High Court had criticised the state’s Left government regarding the Justice K Hema Committee report. Cherian described these claims as a “political drama” orchestrated by certain media outlets.

According to the minister, the High Court only inquired about the actions taken by the state government following the receipt of the committee's report. "It is a political drama created by some news media that the government has been pulled up or criticised," Cherian told reporters here.

Cherian explained that the Advocate General had informed the court that Justice Hema herself had preferred to keep the report confidential to protect the privacy of the individuals mentioned.

The High Court has simply directed the government to submit the report to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for appropriate legal action, Cherian added.

On Tuesday, the High Court had criticised the government’s response to the report, calling it "alarmingly lethargic." Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and C S Sudha stated that the government had received the report over four years ago and should have acted promptly. The court ordered that the full report be handed over to the SIT for further action.

The court also emphasised that "silence and inaction" were no longer acceptable and that the government must take immediate steps to address women's issues in society. It expressed surprise at the government's inaction, given that Kerala has a higher female population and birth ratio compared to the national average.

The Justice Hema Committee was set up by the Kerala government following the 2017 actress assault case. The report, which exposed harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry, led to the state government forming a seven-member SIT on August 25 to investigate the allegations against various actors and directors.

Agency