Hema Commission report: Kerala govt withheld 11 paragraphs not recommended by SIC

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government omitted 11 paragraphs from the recently released Hema Commission report without the recommendation of the State Information Commission (SIC), Manorama News reported on Friday.

The government released only 233 pages of the report, excluding sections that could infringe on the privacy of the individuals mentioned. The omitted portions include paragraphs 97 to 107 from pages 49 to 53, as well as sections from pages 81 to 100 and pages 165 to 196. According to Manorama News, the 11 paragraphs from pages 49 to 53 were not part of the exclusions submitted by the SIC.

Incidentally, the 96th paragraph in the report spoke of the sexual abuse faced by women from well-known personalities. "On analysis of evidence placed before us, we are satisfied that women face sexual harassment even from very well- known people in film industry, who were named before the committee. On considering the various aspects we have no reason to disbelieve what was stated before us regarding sexual harassment in film industry," the paragraph said.

The Justice K Hema Commission was formed in response to the 2017 sexual assault case involving actor Dileep, to investigate issues of sexual harassment and gender inequality in the Malayalam film industry. A censored version of the committee's findings, released on August 19, contains explosive accounts of harassment, exploitation, and mistreatment of women in the industry, triggering a political storm in Kerala.

On Thursday, the Kerala High Court accepted a writ petition seeking the release of the full report and calling for stern action against the accused. The court has directed the government to file a counter affidavit. While noting that the committee had maintained the anonymity of those who testified to encourage women to speak freely, the court must now decide whether criminal action is warranted.

The Justice Hema Committee was established by the Kerala government in 2017 in response to a petition from the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), aiming to address the challenges faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. The committee, chaired by Justice K Hema, included actor Sharada and former IAS officer KB Vatsala Kumari as members. The report was submitted to the government on December 31, 2019.

The SIC later approved a plea under the Right to Information (RTI) Act to release portions of the report, provided all personal information was redacted. The SIC's order adhered strictly to Section 11 of the RTI Act, ensuring the removal of all personal details, names, and identifying information from the report.