Don't force anyone to give statement on Hema Committee Report, says HC

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court asked not to force anyone to give statement based on the Hema Committee report. The court also said that no one should be troubled in the name of investigation. The court also clarified that if the Special Investigation Team (SIT) creates difficulties, then can approach the high court. The court's directive is based on a complaint of forcing to give statements.

The high court clarified that people receiving notices can give their statements before a magistrate or appear and inform that they are not interested. It is reported that those who have given statements before the Hema Committee are refusing to give statements before the police.

Meantime, if they do not give their statements, the cases registered based on the Hema Committee report may be written off. 80 cases have been presently registered. Of these, 35 are based on the Hema Committee report. The other cases were registered based on complaints received directly by the investigation team after the report was released. Chargesheets may be filed only in cases where direct complaints were filed.

The state government appointed the Justice Hema Committee to study the problems faced by women in the film industry after the attack on an actress in Kochi. The Hema Committee submitted its report directly to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on December 31, 2019. The Hema Committee released its report on August 19. The committee released 233 pages. The reports were made public without personal details.