Hema Committee report: Kerala HC appoints Amicus curiae
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Kochi: The Kerala High Court has appointed an amicus curiae, a legal advisor, to help the state government create policies focused on women’s issues, particularly in workplaces, following the Justice Hema Committee's findings.
The special bench of Justices A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and C.S. Sudha, hearing matters related to the Justice Hema Committee report, decided to appoint advocate Mitha Sudhindran to assist the court. Afterwards, the court directed that input from all relevant stakeholders should be collected to allow the state to consider these perspectives when drafting a new law that incorporates a feminine perspective.
The court emphasized the need to include diverse viewpoints, especially from women, as current laws often overlook this perspective. It noted that although the court won’t be drafting the law itself, these insights can help the state prepare a well-rounded policy that could be reviewed for legality.
Since the Justice Hema Committee report was released on August 19, exposing the difficult conditions women face in the film industry, including instances of sexual exploitation, there has been significant public outcry. The report highlighted the lack of a clear employer-employee relationship in the industry, leaving many women vulnerable.
In response, the High Court established a special bench to address the cases stemming from the report. During the most recent hearing, the court was informed that 26 FIRs had been filed following its directive to the Special Investigating Team (SIT) to take appropriate action.
However, in five cases, victims are not cooperating with the investigation, while three others have withdrawn their statements. The court was informed that additional time is needed to gather evidence for the remaining cases, and the next hearing is scheduled for November 21.
On Thursday, the court was informed that in five FIRs, victims were unwilling to cooperate with the investigation, while in three other cases, victims had retracted their statements and chosen not to proceed. Additionally, the court was told that more time is needed to complete statements for the remaining 18 FIRs. The case has been scheduled for its next hearing on November 21.
With IANS inputs