Hema Committee report: A summary of events so far and what to expect next

On October 3, a special bench of the Kerala High Court will hear petitions filed after the release of the Justice K Hema Committee report highlighting the rampant sexual harassment faced by women actors in Mollywood over the years.

It has been over a month since the report revealed the dark underbelly of the Malayalam film industry which had, until then, enjoyed an image of being the home of great cine artists and films that are focused on more than just box-office numbers.

Newer movies were capturing the attention of even non-Malayalam speakers across the world who appreciated the seemingly progressive messages they carried.

But on August 19 this year, all of this changed.

On that date, a redacted version of the Justice K Hema Committee report was released to the public, revealing widespread sexual abuse and gender discrimination in the Malayalam film industry.

Why was the Committee formed? What did its report reveal? What has happened since and what can we expect to see now?

This article aims to answer these questions and puts forth a timeline of events surrounding the issue.

February 2017: A prominent actress was abducted and raped in a moving vehicle, allegedly at the behest of actor Dileep, who at the time was one of the most influential and powerful players in the Malayalam film industry. Dileep reportedly had a personal score to settle with the actress, allegedly because she told his now ex-wife Manju Warrier that he was engaged in an extra-marital affair.

Women actors formed the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) to support the survivor and espouse the cause of women members of the film industry.

May 2017: WCC members met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and submitted a written request to take urgent action to study and address the poor working conditions of women in the film industry.

July 2017: The State government issued Order No. 16/2017/SCB constituting the Justice K Hema Committee to study the issues faced by women in the industry and recommend measures to enhance their participation. The Committee consisted of retired High Court judge Justice K Hema, actress T Sharada, and retired IAS officer Valsalakumari.

July 2017: Dileep was arrested arrested and charged under various offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Sections 366 (kidnapping), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 376D (gangrape).

He remained behind bars till October 2017, when he was granted bail by the Kerala High Court. He was initially expelled from the the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), but reinstated after securing bail.

October 2017: #Avalkoppam (with her) started trending in India. At around the same time, numerous sexual abuse allegations came out against Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein resulting in #MeToo going viral on social media worldwide.

2018: WCC continued its agitation against AMMA's lack of action to address the issues faced by women in the industry. Dileep tendered his resignation from AMMA, but only following protests and backlash against the film body.

2019: The Justice Hema Committee submitted its 296-page report to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

2020: Several Right to Information (RTI) applications seeking access to the report were denied, mainly on the ground of the right to privacy of those who had spoken to the Committee.

2020 - 2024: No action was taken by State government on the findings or recommendations of the Committee.

July 2024: The State Information Commission (SIC) passed an order to hand over copies of the report to several applicants before it, most of whom were journalists. The SIC order stated that all personal information in the report would be redacted to protect the right to privacy of all concerned.

FIlm producer Sajimon Parayil moved the Kerala High Court challenging the SIC order.

August 2024: After Justice VG Arun of the High Court dismissed Parayil's petition, actress Ranjini's appeal against the single-judge's order was dismissed by a division bench.

The redacted report, running into 235 pages, was handed over to the applicants before the SIC. The findings were covered widely by the media.

• Sexual harassment and casting couch practices are prevalent in the industry. Women are asked to "compromise" and "make adjustments" to be hired for roles.

• Women who speak out are labelled as "me-too" persons and they face a real risk of losing opportunities and other forms of retribution.

• Women suffer on account of lack of toilets, changing rooms, safe accommodation, etc. Many reported not feeling safe on film locations.

• The Malayalam film industry is under the control or clutches of "certain producers, directors, actors - all male." Those not abiding by the dictates of this "power group" risk having their futures "wiped out".

• Women earn less than male counterparts. The market values of male heroes are artificially inflated by fans associations.

• There is a lack of proper employment contracts which often lead to problems like unsatisfactory remuneration and poor pay parity.

• The film industry is plagued by gross indiscipline, including consumption of alcohol and drugs on sets.

After the report was released, a slew of allegations against prominent actors of the industry came to light.

Amid these claims against prominent members of the organisation, all seventeen members of AMMA's executive committee tendered their resignation, including President and veteran actor Mohanlal.

Several actresses came out publicly with serious allegations against several film actors, directors and members of production teams. Some of the prominent figures include actor and Member of Legislative Assembly Mukesh, actors Siddique, Jayasoorya, Edavela Babu, Baburaj and Manianpilla Raju, and directors Ranjith and VK Prakash.

Within a week of the release of the report, the State government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Inspector General of Police G Sparjan Kumar to look into these complaints and revelations. The team includes senior women police officers and will operate under the supervision of Crime Branch Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) H Venkatesh.

Following the registration of FIRs against them, most of the accused moved various courts for anticipatory bail. Most have been successful in securing reliefs from the courts.

The table below shows the status of such pleas:

Apart from the petitions filed by the accused, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed before the Kerala High Court seeking criminal action against those accused of sexual offences in the report. The Court in that case ordered the State to submit a single copy of the complete report, without any redactions, in a sealed cover.

Another PIL was filed seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the allegations in the report.

Subsequently, the High Court constituted a Special Bench comprising Justices AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and CS Sudha to hear all such matters related to the report.

In its first sitting on September 10, the Court grilled the State government on why it failed to take prompt action against the sexual abuse revealed in the report.

Kerala Advocate General (AG) Gopalakrishna Kurup replied that the State's hands were tied since the Committee had recommended that the report should not be published.

The Court, however, was not impressed by the submission. It then directed the State government to hand over the complete unredacted report including all witness statements to the SIT so that criminal proceedings can be initiated where needed.

It also called for a feminist perspective to be factored in while drafting laws to deal with sexual harassment at the workplace. It opined that the current Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act) framework would not be sufficient to cover the issues in Mollywood, as not all relationships in the industry can be termed as those between employer and employee.

The special bench will hear the case again on October 3. The SIT and the State government are expected to submit reports on the action taken by them so far.