The Hema Committee Report was made public just hours following the Kerala High Court's decision to deny a request for a stay.
Today, the Court rejected an appeal from actress Ranjini, who had expressed concerns about her privacy. While the Court permitted her to submit a new application, it was unable to address it promptly before it was distributed to multiple parties.
The Justice Hema Committee Report, which examines the working conditions of women in the Malayalam film industry, has been distributed to several journalists who requested a copy.
The report indicates that women in the film industry are often pressured to make “compromises” and “adjustments,” phrases that suggest they should be ready to provide sexual favors whenever requested.
Women in the film industry have expressed that harassment begins right from the start. Testimonies from various witnesses presented to the committee reveal that it is often the production controller or the individual offering a role who first approaches the woman or girl. Conversely, if a woman seeks an opportunity in cinema, she is frequently told that she must make “adjustments” and “compromises” to secure her place. The terms “compromise” and “adjustment” are all too common in the Malayalam film industry, leading to expectations that women should be available for sexual favors when requested, according to the report.
The report came out just hours after the Kerala High Court rejected actress Ranjini’s appeal against a single-judge ruling from August 13 that permitted the report’s release.
A panel consisting of Acting Chief Justice A Muhamed Mustaque and Justice S Manu advised the actress to submit a writ petition rather than pursuing an appeal.
The Court clarified that an appeal regarding the single–judge ruling was not permissible because the actress was not involved in the case that led to that ruling. It emphasized that the single-judge order was directed at a specific individual rather than addressing broader legal matters applicable to everyone.
Ranjini’s attorney submitted a writ petition, and the case was brought up this afternoon in front of Justice VG Arun.
Advocate Renjith B Marar, representing the actress, called on the Court to postpone the upcoming release of the report.
The single-judge initially indicated that he was unable to address the case at that moment because the writ petition had not yet been assigned a number.
“Let it (numbered writ petition) come,” the single-judge said.
The report was distributed to several interested parties at 2:30 PM, as there was no stay order in place to block its release.
A short while later, the writ petition was numbered and taken up again by the single judge. However, the matter was simply adjourned to August 27 after the Court was informed that the report has been released.
In 2017, the Kerala government established the Justice K Hema Committee in response to a petition from the ‘Women in Cinema Collective,’ aiming to investigate the challenges encountered by women in the film industry.
Actress Ranjini was one of the individuals who provided a statement to the committee during this study.
The report was submitted in 2019.
Subsequently, the State Information Commission (SIC) granted a request under the Right to Information Act (RTI Act) to make certain sections of the report publicly available, with personal details being redacted.
Film producer Sajimon Parayil contested this action in the Kerala High Court, but on August 13, Justice VG Arun rejected his petition.
Ranjini subsequently contested the order issued on August 13. The actress submitted an appeal, expressing her worries that the release of the report could infringe upon her right to privacy, particularly since the responsibility for redacting sensitive information was entrusted entirely to an Information Officer’s judgment.
She emphasized that she had provided her statement based on the assurance that her confidentiality would be preserved.
She expressed that she had a reasonable expectation to be informed and given a chance to voice her thoughts before any section of the report related to her statements was made public.
She argued that the individuals impacted by the report’s release were left uninformed about which sections would be censored before the report was made public.
The report was made public because the Court chose not to consider the challenge, as it was presented as an appeal.
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