The release of the Hema Committee report on issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality in the Malayalam film industry is set to be delayed further with the Kerala government on Saturday (August 17, 2024) deciding to postpone the release until the Kerala High Court takes a decision on actor Ranjini’s petition.
The actor had on Friday (August 16, 2024) approached the High Court contending that the disclosure would violate her fundamental right to privacy and breach the confidentiality promised to witnesses, including her, who had deposed before the panel. The court will consider her plea on Monday (August 19, 2024).
The Kerala government was earlier set to release the report on Saturday.
Speaking to mediapersons, the actor said she had a legal right to know how her statements had been recorded in the report and that she was not acting at anyone’s behest. Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian said that the government did not prevent the release of the report. The State Public Information Officer (SPIO) has been authorised by the Court to release the redacted version of the report. The officer will do this within the stipulated time. he said that the government did not say that the report would be released on Saturday.
Meanwhile, P. Satheedevi, chairperson of the women’s commission, told mediapersons that there are no hurdles in the publication of the report. The women’s commission, right from the start, has been in favour of making the report public, she said.
More than four years after the report was submitted to the Kerala government, the State Information Commission (SIC) had on July 6 ordered the Department of Culture to release the report in the public domain before July 25. However, on July 24, the High Court stayed for one week the release of the report following a writ petition filed by film producer Sajimon Parayil challenging the SIC’s order.
The producer had argued that the disclosure of the report, even with purported redactions, would run the risk of identifying individuals who provided testimonies under assurances of confidentiality.
The State Women’s Commission and Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) got impleaded in the case and opposed the plea of the petitioner. On August 13, the High Court dismissed the producer’s petition and directed the government to make public the report with limited redactions.
The Hema committee, headed by Justice K. Hema, constituted in the aftermath of a case of sexual assault on an actor in 2017, had submitted the report to the Chief Minister on December 31, 2019. Despite repeated demands over the years from various stakeholders, including the WCC, the report had remained shrouded in secrecy.
Published - August 17, 2024 11:50 am IST
