The Kerala police’s Special Investigation Team probing cases of alleged sexual harassment in the Malayalam cinema industry will be taking suo motu cognisance of POCSO offences mentioned in the Hema committee report. The move comes after the Kerala High Court came down heavily on the state government for inaction on the report.
OnManorama reported that police will be registering cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act based on witness statements in the report. According to police, there are at least two witness statements related to sexual harassment against minors in the report.
Also, on other statements in the report related to sexual harassment in the industry, the SIT will register FIR only if the witnesses wish to proceed legally. Police will be collecting written statements from the witnesses if they do not wish to proceed with the case, the publication reported.
Recently, The Kerala High Court's special division bench severely criticised the state government for its inaction on the Hema Committee report while reviewing petitions, including a public interest litigation, seeking criminal proceedings based on the report's depositions. The Hema Committee was appointed in July 2017 to investigate the issues faced by women in the film industry, following the abduction and sexual assault of a prominent actress. The committee submitted its report to the government on December 31, 2019.
The High Court pointed out that the report highlighted several cognizable offences in the film industry, including POCSO cases, and strongly criticized the government's failure to act on issues already brought to its attention. The High Court will be next hearing the case on October 3.