Kerala High Court Warns Media Against Misleading Reporting On Justice K Hema Committee Report

This admonition came from a Special Bench comprising Justice AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice CS Sudha, which was convened to address issues stemming from the report that exposed widespread sexual harassment and the "casting couch" culture in the Malayalam film industry.

The Court said, “On our part, we issue a caveat to media personnel that reporting any information in relation to the Justice Hema Committee report, that might lead viewers to believe that a statement aired in the program was the statement actually given by the victim before the SIT or the Justice Hema Committee, will be viewed very seriously by this Court by deeming the same to be an unnecessary interference with the administration of justice”

Additionally, the Court instructed the SIT, which is handling investigations linked to these allegations, to alert the Bench if journalists repeatedly sought information regarding their investigative work. It said, “we direct the members of the SIT to issue a general warning to media personnel, who approach them for information regarding the progress of the investigation, or for getting details of the persons against whom such investigation is ongoing to desist from the same, and in the event of any continued attempts on the part of the said media personnel, the SIT shall report such instances to this Court, if need be, by producing such evidence as they may feel fit.”

The Justice K Hema Committee was established by the Kerala government in 2017 following a petition from the 'Women in Cinema Collective' to investigate issues faced by women in the Malayalam film sector. The findings of the report were released to the public on August 19 in a redacted format.

Since the report's publication, several high-profile figures in the film industry have been named as alleged perpetrators of sexual misconduct, including rape. The matters being examined by the Special Bench include a public interest litigation (PIL) petition calling for criminal charges against those implicated in the report.

During the recent proceedings, the Court learned that a program aired on Reporter TV on September 16 had suggested that an actress had made a statement to the Justice Hema Committee accusing a film director and a prominent actor. This revelation prompted the Court to reinforce its warning to the media.

Cause Title: Jannath A & Anr. v. State of Kerala & Ors.