HC forms special bench to hear Hema committee report cases

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Thursday announced the formation of a special division bench to hear a public interest litigation (PIL) regarding the Justice Hema Committee report and related matters.

Initially, court sources indicated the bench would consist of five judges. However, the High Court registry later clarified that Acting Chief Justice A Muhamed Mustaque had ordered the formation of the special bench on August 29.

The bench, comprising Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and C S Sudha, will specifically handle the PIL concerning the Justice Hema Committee report, the registry confirmed.

The Justice Hema Committee was set up by the Kerala government following the 2017 actress assault case. Its report highlighted widespread harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry.

In response to the report, which brought forth allegations against prominent actors and directors, the state government announced the formation of a seven-member special investigation team on August 25 to investigate the claims.