Days after a redacted version of the Hema Committee report was released to RTI applicants, the Kerala High Court directed the state government to submit the report’s uncensored version in a sealed cover. The report, from which 55 pages were redacted, reveals power abuse, rampant sexual harassment, and manipulation in the Malayalam film industry. Copies of the report were given to 16 journalists in Kerala through RTI, including from TNM, after taking down names, identifying details, and statements of survivors.
The High Court’s direction was issued on Thursday, August 22, in a writ petition filed by Navas, who hails from Thiruvananthapuram. The petitioner argued that the onus is now on the Kerala government to initiate legal proceedings in any cognisable offences mentioned in the Hema Committee report. In India, the police do not need a warrant or prior permission to investigate such offences.
“The Committee had pointed out that women in the Malayalam film industry faced sexual harassment based on evidences. The state is the prosecuting authority. The censured pages of the report contain the most important evidence of sexual abuse. Action must be taken against the perpetrators as these are criminal offences,” the petitioner submitted.
Some of the omitted pages include how ‘powerful men’ in the industry sexually exploited women who came to work in Malayalam cinema out of a passion for acting and the art of cinema. The report, while discussing the demand for an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), observes that women are hesitant to complain to such forums because a ‘power lobby’ which controls the industry can put their lives at risk. In many instances, the Committee report also uses ‘women’ and ‘girls’ differently, raising concerns about whether minors also deposed before it.
The Hema Committee, headed by former High Court judge K Hema, was formed in the aftermath of the sexual assault of a female actor in a moving car in Kerala’s Kochi in 2017. Though the Committee submitted an inquiry report to the Kerala government in 2018, it remained unpublished. Earlier this year, the State Information Commission (SIC) ordered it to be released to RTI applicants after taking down names and identifying details of survivors. The redacted version of the report says that the Committee has based its findings on direct evidence from individuals who spoke in person, and not hearsay.
