All 35 cases based on Hema Committee report dropped after no victim came forward to give statements: SIT tells Kerala HC

The SIT formed to investigate cases of sexual harassment in Malayalam cinema after the Hema Committee report says it has dropped all the 35 cases.

Malayalam cinema faced its biggest test of structural and cultural practices last year after the Justice Hema Committee was made public. The report detailed ingrained practices of sexism and harassment in the film industry. A total of 35 cases were lodged based on the complaints based on the report. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to probe these cases. But now the SIT has informed the Kerala High Court that it has dropped all those cases.

Members of Malayalam film fraternity staged many protests after the release of the Hema committee report in 2024. (PTI Photo) (PTI)

SIT tells all cases related to Hema Committee report are dropped

On Wednesday, the SIT told the HC that it has dropped further action in the 35 cases lodged on the basis of the Justice Hema Committee report, as none of the victims came forward to give their statements.

Based on the new SIT report, a bench of Justices A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and C.S. Sudha said that no further action was required in the crimes registered by the agency for now. The HC was hearing several pleas seeking action based on the recommendations of the Hema Committee. The new order now puts all the cases to rest.

The court also noted that the state government has scheduled a Film Conclave to be held in the first week of August 2025, and directed that the petitions be listed on August 13 for further consideration.

All about the Justice Hema Committee

The Justice Hema Committee was established by the Kerala government following the infamous 2017 assault case on a female star. The committee submitted its report the following year, but it was made public only in 2024, which caused a huge uproar, leading to the dissolution of the all-powerful actors' body of Malayalam cinema.

The full report of the panel was submitted to the Kerala High Court, which had directed that it be handed over to the SIT for investigating complaints of sexual abuse in the film industry.

(With inputs from PTI)