Hema Committee Report: Kerala High Court To Form Five-Judge Bench To Hear Petitions

On Thursday, the Kerala High Court announced plans to form a five-judge special bench to address cases concerning the Justice Hema Committee report. Acting Chief Justice A Muhamed Mustaque and Justice S Manu made this statement during the hearing of a petition contesting a single judge's decision to permit the release of the committee’s report.

The High Court also indicated that the special bench would include women judges, according to a lawyer involved in the petition. On August 13, a single judge had permitted the release of the Justice Hema Committee report by rejecting a plea against the State Information Commission's decision. The plea, filed by film producer Sajimon Parayil, challenged the Information Commission's July 5 order, which directed the State Public Information Officer (SPIO) to disseminate the report's findings and recommendations while safeguarding individual privacy.

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Parayil filed an appeal against the single judge's order before a division bench headed by the Acting Chief Justice which on Thursday decided to constitute a special bench for hearing matters related to the panel's report.

The Kerala government formed the Justice Hema Committee in response to the 2017 actress assault case, which uncovered instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry. After the report was made public and allegations of sexual harassment and exploitation surfaced against several actors and directors, the state government announced on August 25 the creation of a seven-member special investigation team to address these claims.