Kerala Government Releases Hema Committee Report

The Kerala government released the much awaited Hema Committee Report on August 19. The report, which was earlier supposed to be released on August 17, was postponed after actress Ranjini’s plea. The Kerala government released the Report at 2.30 pm on Monday. The government released only 233 pages of the report, excluding sections that could infringe on the privacy of the individuals mentioned.

The Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Monday (August 19, 2024) dismissed an appeal filed by actor Ranjini, aka Sasha Selvaraj, challenging a single judge’s order upholding the State Information Commission (SIC) order to make public Justice K. Hema Committee’s report on working conditions of women in the Malayalam film industry with limited redactions.

Also Read | What Is Hema Committee Report

Ranjini asked the High Court a copy of the report. The actress highlighted that those who provided statements to the to the committee, like her, have not been given a copy of the report.

The report excluded paragraph 96 on Page 49. Portions from Pages 81 to 100, and from Pages 165 to 196. The Hema Committee was established by the Kerala Government in 2017 in response to a petition filed by the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), to investigate the challenges faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. The committee was led by Justice K Hema, along with actress Sharada and former IAS officer K B Vatsala Kumari serving as members. The committee submitted its report to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in December 31, 2019. The Kerala government spent Rs 1.06 crore for this committee.

Also Read: Kerala High Court Stays Release Of Hema Commission Report

The report was submitted on December 31, 2019. The State Information Commission (SIC) subsequently approved a plea under the Right to Information Act (RTI Act) to publicly release portions of the report, provided that personal information was redacted.