Kerala: HC dismisses Ranjini's plea, Hema Committee report on Malayalam film industry to be released today

The Justice Hema Committee's report on the film industry's issues will be released today (Aug 19), with some sensitive information redacted. The report will be available to media personnel who requested it under the Right to Information Act. 

Thiruvananthapuram: The Justice Hema Committee's report on the film industry's issues will be released today (Aug 19) at 2:30 pm and it will be made available to media personnel who had requested it under the Right to Information Act. The Cultural Department has summoned those who had requested the report to collect it today.

This development comes after the Kerala High Court dismissed actress Ranjini's plea. The 233-page report will be released with some sensitive information redacted to protect individuals' privacy. Certain sections of the report, including the 96th paragraph on the 49th page, some parts of pages 81-100 and paragraphs 165-196 will omitted. Also, the annexure will not be released. 

Ranjini's petition is expected to be heard by the Single Bench today, pending completion of formalities by 3 pm and her lawyers have initiated the necessary steps for this.

The report, which explores the issues faced by women in the film industry, was initially scheduled for release August 17 but was delayed pending a court hearing following Ranjini's appeal. Earlier, a petition filed by producer Sajimon Parayil, which had sought to block the report's release, was also dismissed by the court. 

The Justice Hema Committee was formed in 2017 to investigate the challenges faced by women in the film industry, and the report was handed over to the government after two and a half years on December 31, 2019.