Kerala High Court orders to set up internal complaints committee for Malayalam production houses

Kerala High Court has made it mandatory for Malayalam production houses to form internal complaints committee. This move has come in effect amid the wake of the actress sexual assault case.

In a major win for Kerala-based film organisation for women, Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), Kerala High Court on March 17, ordered mandatory setting up of Internal Complaints Committees (ICC). The objective is to tackle issues faced by women in the film industry. The demand has come in amid the wake of the actress sexual assault case.

In a mandate ordered by Kerala High Court, Malayalam film production houses will be required to form an Internal Complaints Committees (ICC). The same is believed to create a safer environment for female artists. The committees, the court said, should be constituted in accordance with the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, or POSH Act. The court order comes after considering a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), which called for a grievance redressal platform in the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA).

The order was issued by a division bench of Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly. Meanwhile, AMMA has agreed to set up an internal complaints committee. The court has ordered other film organisations like Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) and Malayalam Cine Technicians Association (MACTA) to set up internal complaint committees too.

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