Kerala Commission Orders Release of Justice K Hema Report on Malayalam Film Industry

The Kerala State Information Commission has mandated the release of the Justice K Hema Committee report, which examined issues faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. The report must be disseminated without compromising individual privacy. The SPIO has been instructed to comply with the order by July 26.

The Kerala State Information Commission on Saturday ordered the release of the Justice K Hema Committee report, which studied the issues faced by women in the Malayalam film industry.

State Information Commissioner A Abdul Hakkim directed the State Public Information Officer (SPIO) to disseminate the information responsibly, ensuring individual privacy is not compromised.

''While providing attested copies of the Justice K Hema Committee report, the SPIO should ensure that the materials do not lead to the identification of individuals referenced in the said report or compromise their privacy,'' the order read.

The Information Commissioner, in his order, also asked the SPIO not to disclose the details of paragraph 96 contained on page 49 and paragraphs 165 to 196 from pages 81 to 100.

The SPIO is required to file a compliance report by July 26.

The committee was formed after the 2017 actress assault case involving actor Dileep to study issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality in Malayalam cinema.

Even though the report was filed in 2019, the government has yet to release the details, due to suspected sensitive information.

In the meantime, state culture minister Saji Cheriyan stated on Saturday that the government would study the order and release the report accordingly.

''The committee report has not mentioned any particular name and only refers to certain doubts and circumstances. We cannot register any case based on existing laws.

''If anyone feels aggrieved by the committee report, they can approach the court and move legally,'' Cheriyan said.

The minister added that there were many major issues discussed in the committee report.

''Similarly, there are many other reports also that deal with the issues prevailing in the cinema industry.

''The government has considered all these and has decided to organise a two-day cinema conclave after the monsoon to discuss all such matters,'' Cheriyan said.

The actress-victim, who has worked in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam films, was allegedly abducted and molested in her car for two hours by some of the accused, who had forced their way into the vehicle on the night of February 17, 2017, and later escaped in a busy area. The entire act was filmed by some of the accused to blackmail the actress.

There are 10 accused in the case. Dileep, the eighth accused, was also arrested and sent to jail. He was released after the court granted him bail. The case is pending.

(With inputs from agencies.)