June – October 2022: Visuals not safe?

A forensic report revealed that the visuals of sexual assault were accessed twice. 

Though Judge Honey Varghese had gotten the first report in 2020, she did not inform the police or prosecution. 

Another report that came out a month later revealed that it had been accessed three times. 

The survivor wrote to the SC expressing concerns over the visuals getting leaked. Dileep moved the High Court seeking early completion of the trial. The Kerala Crime Branch moved the High Court seeking cancellation of his bail.

Meanwhile, Kerala HC refused to move the case to another court, citing a lack of evidence. Although the survivor moved to the Supreme Court, her petition was rejected again.

February – August 2023: Amicus Curiae 

Dileep filed a petition to stop the hearing of the plea by the survivor to investigate the leaked visuals.

Kerala HC appointed advocate Renjith B Marar as amicus curiae to help the court in formulating guidelines to ensure the safety of electronic documents in judicial custody. 

But he recused himself from the case, following allegations of conflict of interest by the prosecution.  

February – April 2024: Memory card leak

A probe by a Sessions Court found that three people illegally accessed assault visuals while the memory card was in different courts. A magistrate and two court employees had accessed them. To date, no action has been taken against them.

The survivor moved the HC for an SIT probe into this unauthorised access, and she also spoke against this. 

Pointing out that privacy was everyone’s fundamental right, the survivor alleged she was deprived of her basic constitutional rights when the hash value of the memory card changed multiple times while in the custody of the court. 

August 2024: Hema report shocks the public

The Kerala Government released a heavily redacted version of the Hema Committee report – a first-of-its-kind report in India. 

It addressed issues faced by women in the Malayalam film industry, revealing horrific stories of women being sexually exploited by ‘powerful’ men, including superstars.

Following the report, many women came forward with complaints against prominent figures in the industry. This included actors Siddique, Mukesh and Baburaj. Over 30 FIRs have been registered so far. 

Continuing the domino effect of the report’s release, all the office bearers of the apex body A.M.M.A., including president Mohanlal, resigned from their posts.