Kerala Court Criticizes State Inaction on Justice Hema Committee Report

Kerala Culture Minister Saji Cherian denied allegations that the High Court criticized the state government regarding the Justice Hema Committee report, attributing the controversy to media sensationalism. The High Court directed the government to hand over the report to the SIT, while highlighting the state's lethargic response to the committee's findings.

Kerala Culture Minister Saji Cherian on Wednesday dismissed allegations of the High Court criticizing the ruling Left government over the Justice K Hema Committee report, labeling the controversy as a 'political drama' created by certain media outlets.

Minister Cherian clarified that the Kerala High Court had merely inquired about the measures taken by the state post-receiving the committee's findings. He stated that the Advocate General informed the court that Justice Hema sought to keep the report confidential to protect the identified individuals' privacy.

The court criticized the state's 'alarmingly lethargic' response to the report, urging immediate action by handing over the committee's findings to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for legal proceedings, particularly focusing on the safety and exploitation issues faced by women in the Malayalam cinema industry.

(With inputs from agencies.)