THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Opposition Leader V D Satheesan criticised the state government, accusing the Chief Minister and council of ministers committing criminal offences by not acting on the Justice Hema Committee report.
He said that they did not act on the report despite knowing that it had mentioned sexual offences committed against women and children.
Addressing the media after Speaker A N Shamseer denied permission to issue notice for moving an adjournment motion on the matter citing that it was sub-judice, Satheesan said the speaker was acting against precedent.
He said the government was on the defensive on the matter and hence a discussion was not allowed on the topic.
“When I had raised the matter as a question, the Speaker told me to bring it as a submission or in other forms. If being sub-judiced was the issue, then even questions should not have been allowed. We have precedents of such matters being discussed here. It's an abomination for the assembly that such an issue concerning women was not discussed here. I am asking whether the assembly has become a ‘Kaurava Sabha’,” he said.
Earlier, the Speaker barred the Opposition from issuing a notice on the matter and denied Satheesan permission to hold a walkout speech citing that the denial came from the chair and not from the government.
Satheesan was instead told to make a statement that the UDF members were staging a walkout.
The Leader of the Opposition also accused the CM and Culture Minister Saji Cheriyan of misleading the assembly by claiming that Justice Hema had asked not to release the report. He said Justice Hema had only cautioned the government to uphold the guidelines of the Supreme Court to protect its confidentiality while handing over the report, but the CM and the minister said she had asked not to release the report.
“For four-and-a-half years, the government sat on the report which said a series of sexual offences were committed. As per the Pocso Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Suraksha Sanhita, that’s a crime. The CM and the ministers have committed a criminal offence,” he added.
Satheesan also questioned the government’s integrity in holding a probe on the Hema Committee report and said many of the victims were not ready to give their statements as they don’t trust the government.
“If the government had categorically said that it’s with the victims, then women would’ve rushed to give their statements,” he added.