Why did SIT drop all Hema Committee cases? Find out
What's the story
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing sexual harassment cases in Malayalam cinema, based on the Justice Hema Committee report, has dropped all 35 cases. The Kerala High Court was informed by the SIT on Wednesday that no victims came forward to give statements. Consequently, a bench of Justices A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and C.S. Sudha ruled that no further action is required for now in these registered crimes.
Hearing schedule
Report on the case
The High Court had earlier directed the SIT to file a report on these cases. Following the SIT's update, the court has now scheduled a hearing for August 13 to further consider the petitions. The state government has also announced a Film Conclave in the first week of August 2025. This development comes after the Justice Hema Committee report was made public in August 2024, revealing shocking working conditions for women in Malayalam cinema and several alleged sexual harassment cases.
Legal actions
FIRs were filed against several film personalities
The report led to the filing of FIRs against several film personalities including actors Mukesh, Siddique, Jayasurya, Edavela Babu, Nivin Pauly and Maniyan Pillai Raju. Directors Ranjith and VK Prakash were also named along with production executives Vichu and Noble. A SIT was formed to investigate these cases following the report, and the High Court later gave specific directions regarding the investigation process.
Association's response
Mohanlal resigned as AMMA president
In light of the Hema Committee findings, actor Mohanlal resigned from his position as the president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). He was leading an executive committee with 17 members. However, all committee members submitted their joint resignation following the report's release. The Justice Hema Committee was constituted by the Kerala government after a female actor was assaulted in 2017. It submitted its report in 2018 but made it public only in 2024.