Kerala postpones release of report on gender inequality in Malayalam film industry
The findings will not be made public until the Kerala High Court decides on an actor’s plea challenging its release, the state government said.
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The Kerala government on Saturday deferred the release of the Justice Hema committee report on sexual harassment and gender inequality in the Malayalam film industry until the High Court decides on a plea challenging its disclosure, The Hindu reported.
Actor Ranjini on Friday challenged the Kerala High Court’s order to publish the Hema committee report. The order was passed on Tuesday after the State Information Commission assured the court that all personal details had been redacted from the report to protect individuals’ privacy.
The actor contended in her plea that the disclosure of the report would violate her fundamental right to privacy and breach the confidentiality promised to witnesses, including her, who had deposed before the panel.
The disclosure of the report, even with redactions as ordered by the state information commissioner, poses significant risks of identifying individuals who provided testimonies under assurances of confidentiality, the plea said.
The court will consider her plea on August 19.
On Tuesday, a bench of Justice VG Arun directed that the report, submitted to the state government more than four years ago, be published within a week.
On July 24, the High Court had stayed its release, hours before it was to be made public. The order came on a petition filed by filmmaker Sajimon Parayil, who challenged the State Information Commission’s July...
