KOCHI: A day before the government is all set to release the Justice Hema Committee report on issues faced by women in the Malayalam film industry, actor Renjini on Friday approached the Kerala High Court seeking more time on the release of the report enabling her to file an appeal.
Renjini, who donned key roles in several Malayalam movies, filed an appeal against Justice V G Arun's order that dismissed a plea for not releasing the Justice K Hema Committee Report recently.
In the petition, Renjini also known as Sasha Selvaraj residing in Kaloor, Kochi, claims that the release of the committee report violates articles ensuring fundamental rights to the citizens of the country. As per the petition, she participated in the process of inquiry of the commission upon the assurance of confidentiality. In various proceedings, it was decided that the committee report which was submitted before the government would not be published.
Now, the report is to be published without hearing her concerns.
"The appellant is not against the publishing of the report as such but is concerned with the direction in the writ petition which leaves it to the discretion of the Information Officer alone to decide upon the privacy of the individuals concerned which in fact is ratification of the order in the writ petition. The appellant was always under the legitimate expectation that she is legally entitled to privacy on the assurance of confidentiality that the report will never violate the privacy of the appellant," the petition read.
Considering the petition on Friday, the bench comprising acting chief justice of Kerala High Court Justice A Muhammed Musthaque and Justice S Manu heard the counsel of Renjini and other parties in the case, including the government pleader.
The government pleader strongly objected to the locus standi of Renjini as she was never a party in the case before. He also questioned the maintainability of the appeal. After recording the objections, the court without staying the earlier order decided to consider the petition again on Monday.
Earlier, film producer Sajimon Parayil had approached the Kerala High Court against the State Information Commission's order to disclose the committee report. Even though the court first issued a stay on the release of the report, later the plea was dismissed.
