Kerala HC Forms Special Bench to Address Justice Hema Committee Report

The Kerala High Court has formed a special division bench to address a PIL concerning the Justice Hema Committee report on harassment and exploitation in the Malayalam cinema industry. The decision follows allegations against several film industry figures, leading to a state's initiation of a special investigation team.

The Kerala High Court on Thursday announced the formation of a special division bench to address a public interest litigation (PIL) related to the Justice Hema Committee report and its associated issues.

Although initial sources mentioned that a five-judge bench might be handling the case, a notice from the High Court registry later clarified that Acting Chief Justice A Muhamed Mustaque had ordered the establishment of the special bench on August 29.

Per the Acting Chief Justice's directives, a special division bench comprising Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and C S Sudha will be addressing the PIL concerning the committee report and related matters, the High Court registry confirmed.

The Kerala government constituted the panel following the 2017 actress assault case, with its report unveiling instances of harassment and exploitation within the Malayalam cinema industry.

In response to the public allegations of sexual harassment and exploitation against several industry figures stemming from the report, the state government announced the formation of a seven-member special investigation team on August 25 to probe these allegations.

(With inputs from agencies.)