Controversial report on conditions of women in Malayalam film industry delayed

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 17: Just hours before the controversial Justice K. Hema Committee Report on the conditions of women working in the Malayalam film industry was to be released on Saturday, the Kerala government has decided to delay it. The delay happened as a petition surfaced before the division bench of Kerala High Court against the release from a hugely popular former actress. The petition will be heard on Monday.

Authorities in the state government, after a quick huddle, decided to wait and informed the media that its release of it has been postponed. Incidentally, it was earlier this week that the court gave the nod to release the report and then the government decided to first hand over the report to a few journalists who had approached the Chief Information Commissioner with a Right to Information request for the report.

This decision came after the single bench of the Kerala High Court dismissed a petition from a film producer who said that if the report is made public, it could badly affect the Malayalam film industry. However, even when the single bench asked for the release of the report, it asked to hide the sensitive parts in the report.

But late on Friday, the news came that a petition has surfaced in the division bench of the Kerala High Court from actress Ranjini who had given her statement before the Hema Committee that it should not be released as people like her who had given statements have not got a copy of the report. On Saturday, Ranjini said that she wishes to thank the Kerala government for deciding to wait till her petition is heard.

“I was the first person to appear before the Committee to depose and there are confidentiality clauses in it and it was signed too. I want to know and it’s my right on how my statements are reflected in the report,” said Ranjini.