Hema Committee report: SIT closes all 35 cases, cites no victim testimony
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Kochi: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Wednesday informed the Kerala High Court that it has closed all 35 cases registered based on the recommendations of the Justice Hema Committee, citing the absence of victim cooperation.
The SIT stated that despite the registration of the cases, none of the alleged victims had come forward to provide statements, prompting the decision to drop further action.
Taking note of the submission, a division bench comprising Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and C S Sudha observed that no further proceedings were necessary at this stage concerning the cases initiated by the agency.
The bench was hearing a batch of petitions that had sought follow-up action based on the Justice Hema Committee’s findings.
The court also noted that the Kerala government has scheduled a Film Conclave for the first week of August 2025. It directed that the petitions be listed for further hearing on August 13.
The Justice Hema Committee was formed by the Kerala government in the aftermath of the high-profile 2017 actress assault case. The committee was tasked with examining the systemic issues and complaints of sexual abuse in the Malayalam film industry.
Following its investigation, the committee submitted a detailed report to the Kerala High Court, which had then directed that the findings be handed over to the SIT for further investigation.
With PTI inputs