The Kerala State Women's Commission is set to register a case against Poonjar MLA PC George over his comments on the woman actor who was abducted and assaulted in February this year.
In the last week of July, MLA George had asked in a press meet how the woman actor could go back to work a day after she was allegedly assaulted. The question was not only based on an untruth, the MLA has made such insensitive comments in the past, too.
The Commission is mulling action against the MLA after finding that his repeated comments on the case were against the woman survivor and that they were derogatory in nature. The Commission is of the view that MLA George's remarks were against womanhood.
The Women's Commission Chairperson MC Josephine has given instructions regarding the same to the Director VU Kuriakose. He has been asked to seek requisite permission from the Assembly Speaker in order to record the statement of the MLA and to register a suo motu case against the legislator.
The Director has been asked to write to the Speaker at the earliest.
Although the move of the Women's Commission comes days after George questioned the authenticity of the woman survivor's version of the attack, the Commission has observed that the MLA has been consistently making derogatory remarks about the survivor in the past.
It is on the basis of this that the Commission has decided to register a case against him.
The Women's Commission's law officer as well as the standing counsel have said that there is no legal impediment to proceed against the MLA.
They have given the nod to go ahead with the case against the MLA.
Generally, in such cases where derogatory remarks are made against a survivor of a sexual crime, a complaint by the woman survivor is necessary.
However in a lot of cases, the victim does not come forward to file a complaint because of external pressures or she is forced to withdraw the complaint. According to the Women's Commission Act, the body is empowered to register a suo motu case.
Josephine said that since the case is against a legislator, the Commission is making sure there are no loopholes.
"When influential people in the society are insulting womanhood, the laws of the land should be strong enough to oppose it," the Commission observed.
The Commission Chairperson asserted that in such cases, they are taking proper measures to counter such remarks.