Thiruvananthapuram: Even as uncertainty over its release persists, the Cultural Affairs Department has handed over a copy of the Justice Hema Commission report on the issues faced by women in the Malayalam film industry to the State Information Commission in a sealed cover.
The report was submitted to the state government about five years ago. The Commission is likely to decide by next week whether or not to share the details of the report with the public.
The report is widely believed to contain highly sensitive information that could shake Kerala’s film and cultural spheres as a whole.
Earlier, the Cultural Affairs Department had repeatedly denied requests for the report’s copy from individuals and the Commission. It finally yielded to the Commission, which demanded the report by invoking its civil and judicial powers. Although several individuals had applied for a copy of the report using the Right to Information Act, the Cultural Affairs Department did not comply.
Acting on an appeal moved by a journalist in the first week of May, State Information Commissioner AA Hakim once again asked for the report. The Cultural Affairs Department replied that the report could not be shared as it contained a lot of personal information. In a subsequent hearing conducted by the Commission, department officials reiterated their stance, but the Commission reminded them that the appeal option was meant for sharing details except those that are sensitive.
During the second hearing, the officials testified that the Department Secretary had already dispatched the report to the Minister’s office and hence the information could not be given. However, in the third hearing, the Commission explained that it would need to verify the validity of this explanation and directed the Department to furnish a copy of the report in a sealed cover. The Cultural Affairs Department later conveyed that it had sought legal opinion on whether to release the information.
It was in this context that the Commissioner finally decided to invoke the civil judicial powers of the Commission, noting in his file that no further explanations were needed. He ordered that the Hema Commission report be submitted in a sealed cover within one week.
The Commission, constituted in the aftermath of the actor assault case in Kochi, submitted the report to the Chief Minister on December 31, 2019. The delay in releasing the report to the public has drawn sharp criticism, as the government has given varied reasons for not putting out the findings in public or even tabling them in the Assembly. The report contains detailed testimonies from many women in the industry about the harassment they experienced.
