The Kerala government on Monday released the Justice Hema committee report on sexual harassment and gender inequality in the Malayalam film industry, reported Bar and Bench.
This came after the Kerala High Court on Monday rejected a plea by actor Ranjini challenging its earlier order calling for the report to be made public.
According to Bar and Bench, the report states that women in the Malayalam film industry are told to make “compromises and adjustments”, a euphemism for making themselves available for sex on demand.
On August 13, a bench of Justice VG Arun had directed that the report, submitted to the state government more than four years ago, be published within a week.
The State Information Commission had assured the court that all personal details had been redacted from the report to protect the privacy of individuals.
The three-member committee, comprising Justice Hema, veteran actor Sharada and former bureaucrat KB Valsalakumari, was formed in 2017, weeks after the Women In Cinema Collective met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The collective demanded an investigation into the problems faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. This came in the aftermath of a sexual assault case involving actor Dileep.
Ranjini, who had challenged the release of the report, was represented by advocate Renjith Marar, who often appeared on television debates in support of Dileep, reported The News Minute.
In 2023, the court appointed Marar as amicus curiae in the case but he recused himself after objections from the prosecution, the website reported.
Despite the report being finalised in 2019, the Kerala government declined to make it public. In January 2022, the state formed a panel to study the report and plan the implementation of its recommendations.
In its July 6 order, the State Information Commissioner A Abdul Hakkim issued directions to release the entire report except sections that were prohibited from being made public under the Right to Information Act.
Hakkim remarked that the delay in the report’s release had undermined the purpose of constituting the Justice Hema committee.
This is a developing story. More details will be added as they become available.