Kerala HC To Set Up Special Bench For Cases Related To Hema Committee Report
Barely two weeks after the Justice Hema Committee report shaked the Malayalam film industry with explosive revelations about exploitation within the industry, the Kerala High Court on Thursday declared it would constitute a special bench to hear the cases connected to the report.
While hearing a plea challenging a single judge’s decision allowing the release of the report, a bench of acting Chief Justice A Muhamed Mustaque and Justice S Manu ordered the formation of a five-member bench. Notably, the committee will have woman judges, The New Indian Express reported, citing a lawyer. The single-judge bench had allowed the release of the committee report on August 13.
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The single-judge bench made the order while rejecting the plea filed by film producer Sajimon Parayil, challenging the Information Commission’s July 5 order directing the State Public Information Officer (SPIO) to reasonably disseminate the information in the report while ensuring individual privacy.
Following the release of the report, which revealed the presence of casting couch and other forms of exploitation prevailing in the industry, several actresses, junior artists and more came forward explaining their alleged sexual harassment experiences against prominent film personalities, including AMMA chiefs, actors, and filmmakers, among others.
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To study the exploitation of women in the industry, the state government had in 2017 constituted the Hema committee, following the abduction and rape of a prominent actress. The government has also formed a special investigation team to probe the sexual exploitation allegations made by several actors during the past few days.
