Hema Committee Report: SC to review petition seeking CBI investigation on Friday

New Delhi: A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and S.V. Bhatti will review the petition seeking CBI investigation into the Hema Committee report. The Supreme Court is set to hear the petition on Friday.

The petition claims that the Kerala government kept the report hidden for five years and suggests there may be a conspiracy behind this action. Advocate Ajeesh Kalathil filed the petition. The petition asks the CBI to investigate based on the statements outlined in the report and also urges the National Commission for Women to examine issues related to the film industry. In addition to the central and state governments, the opposing parties in the case include the CBI, the National Commission for Women, and the state police chief.

Multiple benches addressing related petitions

Three separate benches of the Supreme Court are handling petitions related to the Hema Committee report and the complaints that have arisen from it. Two of these petitions were reviewed in the last two days, while the court will consider the third petition tomorrow. The writ petition for a CBI investigation into the Hema Committee report has been assigned to the bench led by Justices Hrishikesh Roy and S.V. Bhatti, both of whom previously served as judges of the Kerala High Court.

Another bench, consisting of Justices Vikram Nath and P. B. Varale is examining Sajimon Parayil’s petition challenging the High Court's decision to allow the registration and investigation of cases based on statements from the Hema Committee. The Supreme Court has issued notices to the opposing parties, including the state government, regarding this petition filed by the producer.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the petitioner, strongly requested a stay on the High Court's order. However, the Supreme Court stated that it would first consider the state's response and would address the stay request during the next hearing. Following the same, Rohatgi asked for an order to prevent any arrests or other actions, but the Supreme Court refused this request. A hearing on this petition is scheduled three weeks from now.

A bench of Justices Bela M. Trivedi and Satish Chandra Mishra is reviewing the anticipatory bail plea of actor Siddique, which was filed following the release of the Hema Committee report. This bench previously granted interim bail to Siddique and will reconsider his anticipatory bail plea in two weeks.