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Mahesh

26/07/24 10:59 AM IST

Hema Commission report

In News
  • A single bench of the Kerala High Court recently stayed the release of the Justice Hema Commission report, which looked into women’s working conditions in the Malayalam film industry. 
The Hema Commission and its recommendations
  • Five months after this incident, the state government in July 2017 formed a three-member committee headed by retired Kerala High Court judge, Justice K Hema, to look into issues of sexual harassment and pervasive gender inequality in the Malayalam film industry.
  • The commission consulted with multiple women professionals in the industry and recorded their detailed accounts of sexual harassment, wages earned, and possible blacklisting from work, among other issues.
  • A 300-page report was submitted to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in December 2019, accompanied by documents, audio and video evidence to support the findings.
  • The commission indicated the existence of a casting couch in the industry, while the presence of alcohol and drugs was widely reported on film sets.
  • The committee recommended the formation of a tribunal to investigate the allegations raised in the report.
Delay in release of report
  • The state government in January 2022 formed a panel to study and work out a plan to implement the recommendations of the Commission report, releasing the draft recommendations of the report vaguely in May 2022.
  • These included making job contracts mandatory in the sector, ensuring wage parity across genders for the same job, banning the use of drugs and liquor in shooting locations, and ensuring safe working conditions for women at locations.
  • Unpleased with the progress, five RTI activists and media persons approached the Kerala State Information Commission (KSIC) to act on this.
  • The KSIC on July 6, 2024, ruled in favour of a controlled release of the report to the petitioners while maintaining the privacy of those who deposed before the commission.
  • The 233-page iteration of the report was due to be released on Wednesday before the Kerala High Court stayed its release for a week.
  • The interim stay was ordered based on a petition moved by film producer Saji Parayil, who argued that its release would be against the public interest and violate the right to privacy of the individuals including the petitioner, possibly exposing them to retaliation and harassment.
Source- Indian Express

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