As allegations against Malayalam film stars pile up since the release of the Justice Hema Committee report, which revealed the appalling work conditions of women in the Malayalam film industry and their sexual exploitation, the Kerala High Court on Thursday decided to form a special bench to hear such cases.
This was announced by the acting Chief Justice A. Muhamad Mustaque while hearing a petition filed by producer Sajimon Parayil, and he added that the special bench will be headed by a woman judge.
The Justice K Hema Committee was set up by the Kerala government in 2017 following a petition by the ‘Women in Cinema Collective’ to study the issues faced by women in the film industry. While the report was submitted to the state government in 2019, it was only earlier this year that the State Information Commission allowed a request by certain parties, mostly journalists, for access to the report after redaction of personal information to protect the privacy of witnesses.
A division bench, hearing the appeal moved by film producer Parayil against a single-judge order upholding this decision of the Information Commission, orally observed that the matter has become infructuous but said that it would be posted before the special bench.
The special bench, when it comes into being, can expect a plethora of petitions which includes a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking criminal action against those accused of sexual offences in the report.
The high court has, in that case, ordered the state to submit a single copy of the complete report, without any redactions, in a sealed cover as the published one has been censored more than what it was told to do.