Kochi

On Wednesday, the Kerala High Court temporarily blocked the release of the Justice K. Hema Committee Report on women’s working conditions in the Malayalam film industry for one week. The report, scheduled for public release at 4 pm, was challenged by film producer Sajimon Parayil, who argued that its publication would negatively impact the Malayalam film industry.

The Pinarayi Vijayan government had appointed retired Judge Justice K. Hema in 2017 to investigate issues faced by women in the industry, following a request from the ‘Women in Cinema Collective.’ After spending Rs 1.50 crore on the study, the government decided not to release the report for reasons that remain unclear.

Despite numerous Right to Information requests, the report’s status remained unresolved until a group of persistent journalists succeeded in getting the State Information Commission to order its release, albeit with some sections redacted. The report was set to be made public on Wednesday, but the new petition led the HC to issue an interim stay and schedule a detailed review of the case.