Malayalam director and producer Ranjith has been sent to three-day police custody after he was produced before the first class magistrate court in Kochi on Saturday. This followed his arrest in connection with an alleged sexual harassment complaint filed by an actor.

The case relates to the allegation that Ranjeet sexually harassed the complainant during the shooting of a film. The police filed a First Information Report (FIR) on March 28 based on the actor’s statement. Officials said Ranjith was taken into custody from Thodupuzha after investigators collected enough evidence to proceed with his arrest. ANI. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed on 1 April to further investigate the case.

Earlier, Ranjeet was produced before the magistrate and sent to 14 days judicial custody. He is currently lodged in Ernakulam sub jail.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ashwathi Gigi said the police took action after corroborating the complaint with additional evidence.

He said the SIT will continue its investigation during the police custody period granted by the court. “We received a complaint and an FIR was lodged on March 28. After that, after acquiring other evidence, we were fairly convinced that the accused had committed the crime. So, we moved in for the arrest last night… A special investigation team has been formed,” Gigi said. ANI.

Ranjit’s legal counsel has indicated that the bail plea is being prepared and will be presented in the court at the appropriate time.

On 1 April, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan commented on the case, saying that he did not have complete information, but added that the proceedings appeared to follow due process. He said no formal complaints regarding the action had been brought directly to his attention.

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He said, “At the moment, I am not fully aware of the details related to this issue, especially since the Model Code of Conduct is in place and the cases are being handled accordingly. I do not have exact information about the complaint right now; like you, I have only read about it. As of now, I have not received any formal complaint regarding the action taken. In the absence of such complaints, it appears that the proceedings are proceeding appropriately.”

This is not the first time the filmmaker has faced such allegations. Earlier in 2024, Ranjith had resigned from the post of president of Keralam Chalachitra Academy following sexual harassment claims raised by Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra. At the time, Ranjith had denied the allegations, and a related case was later quashed by the Keralam High Court.

The investigation in the present case is ongoing, with the police and SIT actively searching for further evidence during the custody period granted by the court.