Kochi: The Kerala High Court announced plans to set up a special five-judge bench to address cases related to the Justice Hema Committee report. The decision was made during a hearing involving a challenge to a previous single judge's ruling that permitted the release of the committee's findings.

The special bench will include female judges, according to oral remarks made by Acting Chief Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque and Justice S. Manu. This development follows a petition contesting the earlier decision by the single judge to release the report.

On August 13, the single judge dismissed a challenge against the State Information Commission’s directive allowing the public disclosure of the committee's report. The challenge had been filed by Sajimon Parayil, a film producer, who objected to the Information Commission’s July 5 order. This order instructed the State Public Information Officer (SPIO) to share the report’s details while safeguarding individual privacy.

Parayil has now appealed the single judge’s decision to a division bench led by Acting Chief Justice Mustaque, which has decided to form a special bench to review the case.

The Hema Committee was established by the Kerala government in response to the 2017 actress assault case. The report uncovered serious issues of harassment and exploitation within the Malayalam film industry.

Following the report’s publication and subsequent allegations of sexual misconduct against several actors and directors, the state government announced on August 25 the formation of a seven-member special investigation team to address these claims.

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