The Hema committee report was submitted to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan by the panel members on December 31, 2019. | Photo Credit: File photo
More than four years after the Hema Committee report was submitted to the state government to address issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality in the Malayalam film industry, the State Information Commission has ordered the Culture Department to release the report in the public domain. The release of the report is expected to lead to revelations that may shake the power centres of the industry, leading to intense demands and calls for change.
The Hema Committee, headed by Justice K Hema, constituted following a sexual harassment case against an actor in 2017, submitted its report to the Chief Minister on December 31, 2019. Despite repeated demands from various stakeholders, including the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), over the years, the report remained shrouded in secrecy.
WCC member and filmmaker Anjali Menon welcomed the development and hoped it would shed light on issues that needed to be addressed.
He said, “This order is a positive development that holds all parties accountable. The committee was formed based on a request made by the WCC to the Chief Minister to study the issues faced by women in the Malayalam film industry as a workplace. Many women from the industry have testified before the commission about discrimination at various levels that they have experienced, in the hope that the findings will lead to change. A lot of time, effort and taxpayers’ money has been spent on this. It is important that all this is justified. Unless the problem is transparently declared and defined, there is no point in talking about solutions.” Hindu.
Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian said the government would follow the commission’s order and release parts of the report that do not violate anyone’s privacy.
According to the order issued by State Information Commissioner A. Abdul Hakeem, no information should be withheld except that which is restricted under the Right to Information (RTI) Act and that affects the privacy of the person concerned. Applicants should be informed about the fact that such information is being withheld.
The Information Commission appreciated the government’s intention to set up the committee to resolve long-pending issues, but criticised the culture department and the bureaucracy for withholding the report. The department officials showed a certain “bias” by withholding the information without properly examining the petitioners’ intent. The facts and findings in the report, aimed at reviving the industry and ensuring the safety of women working in it, “cannot be hidden forever”.
The Commission has directed the department to provide information to the applicants before July 25, otherwise the State Public Information Officer and the Appellate Authority will have to appear before it on July 27.
Several actors and others working in the industry had recorded detailed testimony before the committee on issues of sexual harassment, informal bans, salary payments and other disputes. Facing criticism from various quarters over the report being kept secret, the state government had constituted a three-member panel in 2022 “to examine and formulate an implementation plan” for the Hema Committee report. However, this committee is not known to have met or made any recommendations till date.
