Malayalam director Ranjith sent to 14 judicial custody, to seek bail in sexual assault case

Malayalam director and producer Ranjith was arrested by the Kochi Police under the charges of sexual harassment. He was taken into custody from Idukki district on Tuesday evening following a complaint filed by an actress, alleging that he attempted to sexually assault her on the sets, as per ANI.

Ranjith in judicial custody after arrest

Ranjith has been sent to judicial custody for 14 days as per the latest update by ANI. On Wednesday morning, he appeared before a magistrate. He will be seeking bail in the matter.

ANI tweeted, “Director Ranjith has been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days following a sexual assault complaint by an actress. After being taken into custody from Thodupuzha, he was produced before a magistrate early this morning and subsequently moved to the Ernakulam Sub Jail. According to Ranjith's Advocate, they are preparing to approach the court for bail today.”

Ranjith health deteriorates

According to a report by Mathrubhumi, Ranjith's health worsened at night after his arrest.

According to the police, the actress alleged that Ranjith invited her to a caravan during a film shoot and tried to sexually assault her.

Did Ranjith try to escape from police?

Rajnith, who was in police custody in Thodupuzha, was arrested near Muttam, close to Thodupuzha. Reportedly, a special investigation team was set up that intercepted Ranjith’s car on Tuesday night. It is believed that the filmmaker attempted to flee upon knowing of his impending arrest. He was taken into custody before being handed over to the Kochi Police.

After initial procedures, Ranjith was taken to Ernakulam General Hospital for a medical examination at around 1:00 am. Mathrubhumi added that he seemingly experienced discomfort at the hospital.

Ranjith's sexual assault case

Ranjith is facing sexual assault allegations for the second time. Reportedly, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against the filmmaker. Going by the same report of Mathrubhumi, the actress who filed the complaint approached the film’s Internal Complaints Committee (ICC). After review, the committee reportedly passed the case over to the Kerala Police for legal action.

Officials added that the preliminary inquiry was conducted under strict privacy, keeping details of the complaint under wraps. The registration of the case and further proceedings were said to be carried out with secrecy and sensitivity.

Ranjith had previously faced allegations of sexual harassment after the revelations in the Justice K Hema Committee report on the Malayalam film industry.

Ranjith's controversy in 2024

In 2024, Ranjith stepped down as Kerala Chalachitra Academy chairman after a case was filed against him by a Bengali actress.

Sent via email, the complaint alleged that Ranjith had inappropriately touched the actress with sexual intent. Reportedly, he had invited her to act in the film Paleri Manikyam in 2009.

However, Ranjith refuted the allegations by the Bengali actress after his resignation. Back then, he had said, as quoted by India Today, “A Bengali actor, Sreelekha Mitra, has raised very serious personal allegations against me. This has been happening for some time. To be precise, since the time I took over as the chairman of Kerala Chalachitra Academy, a group of people have been trying for a long time. This allegation [of Sreelekha] that came out before the public is a result of this.”

"The person concerned (Ranjith) is a big name in Malayalam film industry and a national award winning director. I went to his residence to discuss an upcoming film project and I did not like his behaviour. He made certain advances subtly and I felt uncomfortable while we were discussing the script," Sreelekha Mitra had told PTI back then.