- The Kerala government has informed the High Court that draft legislation for the welfare of women in the entertainment industry is in progress
- After a conclave in the first week of August, the draft will be finalized by October
The Kerala state government has told the High Court that it may finalize a draft law by October that would guarantee the well-being of women in the entertainment sector, including the film industry. This will come after a conclave where important topics pertaining to film policy will be discussed during the first week of August.
In response to petitions calling for additional action on the Justice K Hema Committee report, which brought attention to the working conditions of women in the film industry, Advocate General K Gopalakrishna Kurup made the submission. A special bench made up of Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and C S Sudha took note of the statement on Monday.
The court had previously ordered the government to submit a preliminary schedule for passing the legislation. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) was also given ten days by the bench to report its findings on ongoing inquiries into complaints made by members of the film industry. This followed a SIT member updating the court on the investigation's status and asking for two weeks to provide a thorough report.
This is in the midst of reports that the SIT decided to drop criminal cases that were first brought in response to the findings of the Hema Committee report, which exposed issues with sexual exploitation and misogyny in the Malayalam film industry. The High Court has delayed the petitions until June 25.
