Summary of this article
A magistrate court has granted bail to Malayalam film director Ranjith.
He was arrested in a sexual harassment case on March 31.
Judicial First Class Magistrate L Usha granted bail to the filmmaker after imposing stringent conditions.
Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith Balakrishnan has been granted bail by the Ernakulam Judicial First Class Magistrate court on Friday (April 10) in a sexual harassment case, with conditions to ensure a fair investigation, reported Bar and Bench.
Judicial First Class Magistrate L Usha granted bail to Ranjith, who was arrested on a complaint filed by a young female actor, alleging that the director behaved inappropriately during the shoot of a Malayalam film.
Ranjith granted bail in sexual harassment case
During the hearing today, the magistrate noted that no custody application was filed by the prosecution. The magistrate had earlier granted the police the custody of the filmmaker for three days from April 5 to April 6.
Advocate S Rajeev, who appeared for Ranjith, submitted that no notice was served to him before the proceedings.
He also said that the accused neither challenged his arrest nor the earlier custody order and emphasised his client's willingness to cooperate with the investigation.
The prosecution opposed his bail, stating that the filmmaker had not cooperated with the investigating officer while he was in custody for three days.
The court eventually granted bail to Ranjith.
Ranjith's bail conditions
The bail comes with certain conditions. The court directed Ranjith to surrender his passport and not to leave Ernakulam. He is also restricted from entering the crime scene in Fort Kochi where the film was shot. He is also ordered to execute a bond of Rs 1 lakh and furnish two solvent sureties of the amount.
The court also ordered Ranjith to appear before the investigating officer every Monday for the next three months or until the charge sheet is filed.
Ranjith's arrest in sexual harassment case
Ranjith was arrested by the Ernakulam Central Police on March 31 and was lodged in the Ernakulam sub jail. The case was registered based on a complaint that a young actress filed against the filmmaker, alleging that the director attempted to sexually assault her inside a caravan during a film shoot on January 30 this year. Her confidential statement was recorded before a magistrate, and she was also examined at a women’s police station.
Ranjith has been booked under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including non-bailable offences under Section 74 (assault or criminal force to women with intent to outrage her modesty), Section 75 (sexual harassment) and Section 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).
This is not the first time Ranjith has faced such allegations. In 2024, the Ernakulam North Police booked him under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code based on a complaint by a woman actor from Bengal, who accused him of molestation in 2009 during the casting process of a film.
