Govt. ready to publish Hema committee report: Minister
Even as the Kerala High Court ordered a week’s stay on the public disclosure of the K. Hema Committee report to address issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality in the Malayalam lm industry, Minister for Cultural Aairs Saji Cherian said the State government had made all the necessary arrangements to release the report as per the State Information Commission’s order earlier this month.
“As soon as the government got the report, it had taken the necessary steps to implement the recommendations in the report. The committee has reached certain conclusions based on the statements of those who had deposed before it. Based on this, it has given recommendations. The government has no issue in disclosing these conclusions and recommendations. However, the parts of the statements aecting the privacy of people will have to be withheld as per the commission’s order. The government had made arrangements to disclose it today, but now following the court order, the State Information O§cer will take the necessary steps,” said Mr.Cherian.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Film Producers’ Association has said that Sajimon Parayil, the producer who approached the court against the disclosure of the report, was not its member. The association has not taken any stand on the disclosure of the report. Filmmaker Vinayan said the fear of certain sections in the Malayalam lm industry is preventing the disclosure of the report. He also slammed the State government for the delay in the release of the report.
The Hema committee had submitted the report to the Chief Minister on December 31, 2019. Despite repeated demands over the years from various stakeholders, including the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), the report had remained shrouded in secrecy.
Several actors and others working in the industry had recorded detailed testimonies of the issues of sexual harassment, uno§cial bans, wage payments, and other disputes before the committee.
Staying a
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