Hema Committee Report, Based On Women’s Working Conditions In Malayalam Film Industry, To Release On August 17

The Hema Committee Report is scheduled for release on August 17, with portions that could compromise individual privacy being redacted. This measure is being taken in accordance with the Right to Information Act. Earlier, on Tuesday, the Kerala High Court dismissed a petition that sought to stop the release of the Justice Hema Commission report, citing privacy concerns. Before issuing the stay, the court had asked for responses from both the state government and the RTI Commission. Filmmaker Sajimon Parayil had approached the High Court to prevent the report’s release, arguing that it would infringe on the privacy of those involved in the film industry. The petitioner expressed concerns that making the report public could endanger individuals who had shared sensitive information about the industry. The advocate representing the State RTI Commission argued that the petitioner lacked the authority to challenge the court. He explained that significant portions of the report had been redacted to protect personal information and prevent any privacy violations.

Before the report’s tentative release last month, all 82 pages of the State Information Commission’s document were edited, including 115 paragraphs and some lines across various pages. State Information Commissioner Dr A Abdul Hakeem instructed the RTI Officer of the Culture Department to notify the applicants about which sections of the report were to be excluded. Each of the five individuals involved was required to pay Rs 699 to obtain a copy of the report.

The committee was formed to study sexual violence and gender inequality in the Malayalam film industry, following actor Dileep’s involvement in the 2017 actress assault case. Actress Sharada, former IAS officer KB Vatsalakumari were also members of the committee. The report was submitted on December 31, 2019, but the Kerala government has not yet released it as it is suspected to contain critical information. Journalists have approached the Information Commission against this.

The government was expected to release the findings of the Justice Hema Commission report, which examines the challenges faced by women in the Malayalam film industry, on July 24. Sections that could infringe on individual privacy and potentially identify people will not be published, following the directive of the State Right to Information Commission.