Kerala HC to set up special court to hear cases related to Hema Commission report

With allegations mounting against Malayalam film stars since the release of the Justice Hema Commission report, which exposed the appalling working conditions of women in the Malayalam film industry and their sexual exploitation, the Kerala High Court on Thursday decided to set up a special court to try such cases.

This was announced by Acting Chief Justice A. Muhamad Mustaque while hearing a petition filed by producer Sajimon Parayil. He added that the special court will be presided over by a female 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 look into 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 from certain parties, mainly journalists, to access the report after redacting personal information to protect the privacy of witnesses.

A bench hearing the appeal filed by film producer Parayil against a single-judge order upholding the Information Commission’s decision noted orally that the case had become fruitless but said the matter would be referred to the special chamber.

When the special court is established, it can expect a large number of petitions, including a petition under a public interest litigation (PIL), seeking criminal action against the persons accused of sexual offences in the report.

The Supreme Court in that case ordered the state to submit one copy of the full report, without any redactions and in a sealed cover, because the published report was more censored than mandated.

Another PIL is likely to be filed with the new court, in which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will investigate the allegations in the report.

The anticipatory bail pleas filed by actor Siddique, director VK Prakash and others in the rape and sexual harassment cases filed against them may also be heard by the Special Court.

There has been unrest in the Malayalam film industry since the release of the long-delayed Hema Committee report last month, which exposed the widespread sexual exploitation of women in the film world. The Kerala police have so far registered FIRs against 11 people, including nine from the film industry, based on complaints filed by actresses. Those in the dock include actor-CPI-M legislator Mukesh Madhavan, Siddique, Jayasurya, Edavela Babu, Maniyanpilla Raju, directors Ranjith and Prakash, and production heads Vichu and Noble. Meanwhile, Mukesh, Renjith and Raju are among those who have been granted bail.

(With inputs from IANS)