The Justice K Hema Committee was established by the Kerala government in 2017 following a petition by the ‘Women in Cinema Collective’ to study the issues faced by women in the film industry. The Committee submitted its report to the government in 2019.
However, despite several requests under the Right to Information Act, the State declined to make the report public.
On July 5, the State Information Commission (SIC) directed the disclosure of the report.
This was challenged before the High Court by Malayalam film producer Sajimon Parayil, alleging that only limited redactions have been ordered before disclosure of the report.
Parayil’s petition contended that the SIC’s order would breach the confidentiality assured to those who provided testimony, potentially exposing them to retaliation and harassment.
Parayil contended that the SIC’s order did not comply with Section 11 of the Right to Information Act (RTI Act), which mandates notice to affected parties.
He argued that the SIC had not justified the change in its stance since it had refused a similar RTI application in 2020.
Source: Barandbench
