What Happens When a Man Accused of Sexual Misconduct Receives a Prestigious Award?

In 2018, singer Chinmayi Sripaada accused lyricist Vairamuthu of sexual harassment and of threatening to destroy her career if she didn’t give in to his demands. This opened the floodgates and more than a dozen other women-  some openly and others anonymously-  accused the lyricist of sexual misconduct. Vairamuthu denied the allegations, and despite the fact that Chinmayi was not the only woman to accuse him of sexual harassment, except a few independent journalists and media outlets, the mainstream media openly sided with him.

Vairamuthu’s career was not impacted as a result of these allegations, and he continues to enjoy political and literary patronage. Chinmayi’s career, on the other hand, has been adversely affected and she was even banned from the dubbing union for a number of years. Though Chinmayi registered a complaint against Vairamuthu with the National Commission of Women (NCW), no action has been taken against him till date.

Eight years later, with the case against Vairamuthu still pending with the NCW, the prestigious Jnanpith Award, which is awarded for a writer’s lifetime contribution to literature, has been conferred on Vairamuthu!

Why is this problematic? This is problematic because a man is being publicly honoured for his contribution to literature even though he has not been cleared of the charges of sexual misconduct. While nobody is asking for the punishment to extend for an indefinite period, both morally and legally he remains accused of sexual harassment till the complaint made against him is duly investigated and closed.

In this particular case, the facts appear to support the person making the accusation*. There are many victim testimonies against Vairamuthu which all describe a similar modus operandi. People from the industry have made statements like “When I first heard about ..(the accusation).., I wasn’t surprised as you may have heard that it’s the industry’s open secret.”

Vairamuthu’s only response to these allegations had been to declare his innocence and to state that “it has become fashionable to accuse known people.” Nobody is asking that the statements made by either of the two parties be taken at face value. However, when a complaint has been registered with the NCW, the case has to be investigated and resolved. This has not yet been done (or if it has, it has not been publicised) and till such time as the NCW finds him innocent, Vairamuthu should remain under suspicion.

When a powerful man like Vairamuthu does not face the consequences of his action, and is, instead, publicly honoured for his professional contribution, it simultaneously trivialises the experience of victims and weaponizes sexual predators. Why would other victims of sexual harassment come forward when they know that neither society nor the legal system will force the accused to face the consequences of their action?

It is important that men who have been accused of sexual harassment, especially those who have been accused by multiple women, be called upon to acknowledge and take accountability for their action. In cases like these where it is hard to find evidence to back up the claims of either party, restorative justice demands that an honest attempt be made to bring all parties together to repair the harm, assign accountability and facilitate healing.

Till such time as that happens, I continue to engage in my act of micro feminism- whenever the name of anyone accused of sexual misconduct is mentioned, I immediately correct the speaker by adding the prefix “sexual predator” before the name.

* Testimonies taken from this article which was published two years after the allegations were made- https://silverscreenindia.com/music/features/vairamuthus-accusers-on-the-poet-and-his-predatory-ways/