Hema Committee: WCC opposes Maala Parvathi's petition in SC

New Delhi: The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) has opposed the petition filed by actress Maala Parvathi in the Supreme Court regarding the ongoing probe in connection with the Hema Committee report. 

Earlier, Maala Parvathi had approached the Supreme Court challenging the Kerala High Court's order to proceed with an investigation based on the statements received by the Committee from various artists in the Malayalam film industry. The WCC's lawyer pointed out that the petition became irrelevant as a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had already been set up to investigate the matter.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing on December 10 to consider the petition challenging the registration of the cases based on the Hema Committee report. Justices Vikram Nath and P.B. Varale are set to hear the case.

Parvathi's petition challenged the High Court’s decision to investigate cases based on the statements collected by the Hema Committee. The Committee was constituted by the Kerala Government to look into the sexual abuse and harassment in the Malayalam film industry. 

Earlier, an actor who provided a statement before the Hema Committee claimed that she did it solely for academic purposes and that she had no interest in pursuing the case further. The Supreme Court had previously issued notices in response to similar petitions filed by filmmaker Sajimon Parayil and a makeup artist, challenging the High Court's ruling.

Parvathi's lawyer, Abid Ali Biran, requested that the Supreme Court issue a notice on her petition, citing the similarity with the previous petitions. However, WCC’s lawyer, Haripriya Padmanabhan, strongly opposed this request, stating that since an investigation is already underway, the petition has become irrelevant. 

The state government and the Kerala State Women's Commission have filed affidavits in support of the ongoing investigation. The WCC also approached the Supreme Court, urging that the investigation proceed based on the Hema Committee's statements, despite the victims expressing no interest in moving forward with the case. The government maintains that it cannot allow the accused to go unpunished.