Kerala HC forms special bench to hear Justice Hema Committee report

The Kerala High Court on Thursday announced the constitution of a special bench to hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) regarding the Justice Hema Commission report and related issues.

Although it was initially reported that a special court with five judges would hear the case, a later notification from the Supreme Court registry revealed that Acting Chief Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque had ordered the setting up of the special court on August 29.

Based on the directions of the Acting Chief Justice, a special bench comprising Justices AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and CS Sudha will hear the PIL regarding the commission’s report and related matters, the Supreme Court registry confirmed.

The Kerala government formed the panel in the wake of the 2017 sexual assault case against an actress. The report exposed cases of harassment and exploitation in the Malayalam cinema industry.

In response to public allegations of sexual harassment and exploitation against several industry figures stemming from the report, the state government on August 25 announced the formation of a seven-member special investigation team to probe the allegations.

(With input from agencies.)