Ernakulam (Keralam)

Malayalam director-producer Ranjith was produced before the First Class Magistrate Court in Kochi on Saturday following his arrest in connection with an alleged sexual assault complaint filed by an actress.

The court remanded him to three days of police custody after the hearing.

The case pertains to allegations that the filmmaker sexually assaulted the complainant during a film shoot. Police had earlier registered a First Information Report (FIR) on March 28 based on the actress's statement.

According to officials, Ranjith was taken into custody from Thodupuzha after investigators said they had gathered sufficient evidence to proceed with the arrest. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted on April 1 to probe the matter further.

Earlier, the accused was produced before a magistrate and sent to judicial custody for 14 days. He is currently lodged in Ernakulam Sub Jail.

Speaking about the investigation process earlier, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Aswathy Gigi said that the police acted after corroborating the complaint with additional evidence. She added that the SIT would continue its probe during the police custody period granted by the court.

"We got a complaint and registered an FIR on March 28. After that, we were reasonably convinced, after securing other evidence, that the accused had committed the crime. So, we went ahead with the arrest last night... A Special Investigation Team has been constituted," Gigi told ANI.

Ranjith's legal counsel has indicated that a bail plea is being prepared and will be moved before the court in due course.

On April 1, Keralam Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reacted to the development and said he did not have complete details of the case but noted that the proceedings appear to be moving in accordance with due process. He added that no formal complaints had been brought directly to his attention regarding the action taken.

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"At the moment, I am not fully aware of the details regarding the issue, especially since the Model Code of Conduct is in force and matters are being handled accordingly. I do not have precise information about the complaint right now; like you, I have only read about it. As of now, no formal complaints have come to me regarding the action taken. In the absence of such complaints, it appears that the proceedings are moving forward in a proper manner," he said.

This is not the first time the filmmaker has faced allegations of this nature. In 2024, he stepped down as chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy following sexual harassment claims raised by Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra. At the time, Ranjith had denied the allegations, and one related case was later quashed by the Kerala High Court.