Justice Hema panel: Activists submit MoU

KOCHI: A group of writers and human rights activists have submitted a memorandum to the State government asking for a statement to be published on the working status of the Justice Hema Committee constituted by the State government in June to study issues of women in the film industry. The three-member panel headed by retired Kerala High Court Justice K Hema with former bureaucrat K.B. Valsala Kumari and yesteryear actor Sarada as members will look into the problems being faced by women in cinema and their working atmosphere and will suggest remedial measures.

Even though no time-frame has been fixed, the panel will submitt its report without delay. The committee was formed soon after members of 'Women in Cinema Collective', a group of women film workers, met the Chief Minister following the actor assault case and the subsequent developments in the film industry.  The memorandum signed by K.G Sankara Pillai, Sara Joseph, C. Radhakrishnan, C. S Venkiteswaran, Kalpetta Narayanan, C.P Prasoon and Aneesh Prabhakar pointed out that the Hema committee has been either sidelined or neglected.

"The government should take immediate measures to revive the functioning of the committee. Public enquiry and public evidence-taking have to be made as part of the panel's functioning," they demanded. Meanwhile, filmmaker Vidhu Vincent, spokesperson of Women in Cinema Collective told DC that functioning of the committee never came to a standstill. "We came to know that the terms of reference of the committee was finalised two weeks ago.  The office and other facilities are being set up. Since the government constituted the panel, there will be procedural delays to start functioning," she said.