Draft law to address sexual harassment in Malayalam film industry in one month: Saji Cherian

Saji Cherian promises to draft law in a month to address the issues faced by women in the Malayalam film industry

Kerala Minister for Culture Saji Cherian said on Friday that the draft law to address the problems in the Malayalam film industry, including the issues faced by women, will be ready in a month.

“Department of Culture will complete the process of drafting the law within a month. It will be then submitted before the Law Department for vetting,” he told The Hindu on the sidelines of the inaugural day of the regional International Film Festival of Kerala at Sarita theatre here.

Stating that the Cabinet will take up the final draft for discussion before presenting it in the State Legislative Assembly for approval, Mr. Cherian said that the draft law will be based on the recommendations by the Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Hema Commissions formed to identify and recommend measures to solve the various issues in the Malayalam film industry.

The government had received flak for sitting upon the Hema Commission report submitted in 2019. The inordinate delay had prompted the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) to launch a campaign demanding immediate steps to finalise the law, besides asking for formation of Internal Complaints Committee in all production houses and film bodies.

Mr. Cherian said that the draft law will be published in the public domain after completing due legal process. “The government will hold discussions with the various film bodies and WCC before finalising the draft,” he said.