From the time of submission of the Hema Committee report to the government of Kerala, actor Ranjini was hopeful of seeing a copy before its official release. 

“It is only when the film producer [Sajimon Parayil] went to court that I realised that the report was going to be made public before a copy of it was given to and signed by the women who deposed before the Committee. I had given my statements to the Committee, and I wanted to see how they are putting out those statements before it is made public,” Ranjini told TNM. 

Ranjini who had deposed before the committee had moved the Kerala High Court on Friday, August 16, against a court order permitting its release, citing privacy concerns.

The report, which contains statements of women in the Malayalam film industry including Ranjini’s about the issues they faced at work, was expected to be released at 11 am on Saturday. But it was deferred, following Ranjini’s plea.

This is the second time that the publication of the report has been postponed. The Hema Committee report was originally slated for a July 24 release, after a nod from the State Information Commission. However film producer Sajimon Parayil moved the HC on the same day, challenging the publication and the court ordered  an interim stay. The court later upheld the SIC order and asked for the release of the report within a week. The SIC had issued orders to release the copies of the report to Right to Information (RTI)  applicants after redacting information that could identify individuals mentioned in the report.

"I heard that many pages of it have been removed, and we don’t know what the content is. Important parts could have been removed. As deponents, it is our legal right to see this report and give our consent for publication. That’s why I have approached the court. They must get the consent of all participants before releasing it," Ranjini said.

The actor said she had expected the Women’s Commission and the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) to have asked for copies of the report to be shared with the people who deposed before the Committee, before it was made public.

"The WCC said that it has been asking the government for it for years. But if there has been such a delay, they should have approached the court. The Women's Commission also failed to protect the interests of the women who gave their statements to the Hema Committee,” Ranjini said.

She, too, has been a part of the WCC and emphasises that she is not against the publication of the report. "It's just that they have all been barking up the wrong tree. They should have gone to the court long before," she said.