After weeks of uncertainty, the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) has finally constituted an Internal Committee (IC) under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) Act, but by flouting key rules. The new IC has a majority of male members, contrary to the norms stipulated in the PoSH Act.
Announced on January 17, the committee includes KFCC President M Narasimhulu and Secretary (Distributors) MN Kumar, former KFCC office bearers NM Suresh and film producer Sa Ra Govindu, director BL Nagraj (Naganna), actor Anitarani, and a representative from the NGO Annapoorna. The Chamber stated in a letter that the committee will have jurisdiction only over its members.
Though the PoSH Act mandates that at least half of the total members of the IC should be women, in the newly constituted seven-member IC, at least five are men. The KFCC’s announcement does not mention if the representative from the NGO Annapoorna will be a woman, which leaves actor Anitarani to be the only identifiable woman on the committee at present.
As per the PoSH Act, an IC must include members nominated by the employer. This includes a Presiding Officer, who should be a senior woman employee at the workplace. If no senior woman is available, the Presiding Officer may be nominated from other offices of the employer or even external organisations. The committee must also include at least two employee members who are committed to the cause of women, or have experience in social work or legal matters.
Additionally, the law stipulates that one external member must be from an NGO or an association familiar with issues related to sexual harassment.
The move to form the IC comes after KFCC faced backlash for rescinding an earlier attempt to form an 11-member committee chaired by filmmaker Kavitha Lankesh. This initiative, aimed at addressing sexual harassment in the Kannada film industry, was shelved within hours, with the Chamber citing its elections as the reason for the delay.
The push for an IC in Sandalwood—as the Kannada film industry is popularly called—follows revelations from the Hema Committee report on the Malayalam film industry, which exposed widespread sexual harassment and poor working conditions. The findings sparked demands for similar oversight in other regional film industries, including Kannada cinema.
Efforts to establish a PoSH committee have faced resistance within the Kannada film industry. Eventually, the Karnataka State Women’s Commission intervened, citing the KFCC’s failure to comply with the legal requirements of the Act. But even at a meeting between the Commission and the KFCC, some women participants struggled to voice their concerns, with several claiming they were silenced during discussions.
On November 28, the Commission wrote to the Bengaluru district administration, demanding immediate action against the Chamber. Under pressure, KFCC announced plans to finalise the committee after the newly elected office bearers assumed their roles on December 14.
