Kochi: The state government has handed over 30 witness statements, copy of the entire Hema Committee report, copies of annexures and the original of the pen drive to the special investigation team (SIT) constituted to probe sexual abuse allegations in the Malayalam film industry, according to the counter-affidavit filed by the government in the High Court (HC). The SIT submitted an action-taken report to the Government on September 28, which was handed over to the High Court in a sealed cover. The case related to the petition filed by social activist Paichira Navas is scheduled for today.
The High Court directed the government to produce a copy of the full Hema Committee report in a sealed cover on August 22. When the case was considered on September 10, a copy of the report, along with copies of the annexures, witness statements, and the original of the pen drive, was furnished to the HC.
The HC ordered on September 25, while considering a petition filed by Paichira Navas, that the Government should furnish a full copy of the Hema Committee report together with all its annexures to the SIT. It was also directed that the SIT shall go through the report to see if any offence, cognizable or otherwise, has been made out at the instance of any person and proceed to take suitable action in accordance with the law by treating the contents of the report as 'information' for the purpose of settling the law in motion.
Advocate Sekhar G Thampi, who appeared for the petitioner, said that all the clips, messages, and screenshots submitted by the Hema Committee to the government would be handed over to the SIT.
As per the counter-affidavit filed by the state government, except for the pen drive in its original, of which no copy was taken, all other copies of the report were handed over to the SIT on September 12. The original of the pen drive, which was kept in the sealed cover in safe custody for being handed over to the HC, was collected and handed over to the SIT on September 14.
