The release of the long-awaited Hema Committee report, scheduled for August 17, has been postponed. Actress Ranjini had approached the Kerala High Court on Friday raising concerns that details from the report are being published without the knowledge of the informants, including herself. She has also pointed out that those who provided statements to the committee, like her, have not been given a copy of the report.

Ranjini had filed a petition seeking more time to release the report, leading to the delay. The High Court is set to review the petition on Monday, and a decision will be taken only after this review.

The actress took legal action just as the government was preparing to release the report on Saturday. P. Sathidevi, chairperson of the Kerala Women's Commission, suggested that the government likely postponed the release of the report scheduled for Saturday due to the actress's request, which is set to be reviewed by the High Court on Monday. "There are no hurdles in the publication of the report." She also stated that the Women's Commission has consistently supported the release of the report from the beginning.

The report was planned to be issued with sections that could impact privacy removed. The Information Commissioner had earlier ordered the release of the report. However, producer Sajimon Parayil challenged this decision by filing a petition in the High Court, following which the release was stayed by the court. However, on Wednesday, the High Court dismissed the plea and gave the government a week to release the report.

The genesis of the Justice Hema Committee report dates back to an incident of assault on an actor, which led the state government to form a three-member committee in July 2017. The committee consisted of former High Court Judge K Hema, yesteryear actor Sarada and Rt IAS officer K B Vatsalakumari. A petition given by Women in Cinema Collective, a union of women in the Malayalam film industry, also catered to the formation of the committee. 

The State government had asked the committee to submit its study report within six months. The committee submitted its report to the government in December, 2019. Even after five years, there has been no discussion or action taken on the report. Moreover, the WCC members demanded the release of the report, but the government refused.