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Kerala Police Drop Majority of Hema Committee Sexual Harassment Cases as Survivors Remain Silent

Police officials describe the closures as temporary, reserving the option to reopen probes if survivors decide to testify.

Parvathy Thiruvothu criticised the inaction with the Hema Committee Report.
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Overview

  • Kerala Police have filed Further Action Dropped reports in 21 of the 35 criminal cases from the Hema Committee report and intend to close the remaining 14 due to survivors declining to provide statements.
  • The Special Investigation Team said repeated court summons and three rounds of official notices went unanswered, leaving the probes at a procedural standstill.
  • Investigations into about 70 other cases continue, with nearly 25 charge sheets already submitted against industry figures including MLA Mukesh, Siddique, Jayasurya, Edavela Babu, Maniyanpilla Raju and Ranjith.
  • Advocacy groups like the Women in Cinema Collective and actress Parvathy Thiruvothu have criticised the Kerala government’s delay in implementing the Hema Committee’s 2019 recommendations for industry reforms.
  • The Hema Committee, formed in 2017, uncovered systemic sexual misconduct, poor working conditions and an all-male “power group” exerting unofficial bans within the Malayalam film industry.