Malayalam Filmmaker Ranjith Arrested In A Sexual Assault Case

Ranjith, who has been facing legal challenges since Mollywood's MeToo moment, was arrested in fresh charges filed by an actress on Monday. She claimed that the veteran Malayalam filmmaker attempted to sexually assault her during the shooting of a film. Following this, the authorities took Ranjith into custody on Tuesday evening.

Actress alleges sexual assault attempt in a caravan on set

According to a report in news agency PTI, the actress alleged that Ranjith invited her to a caravan on set, where he allegedly attempted to assault her sexually. Her statement was recorded at a Women's Police Station. Following the complaint, the proceedings were carried out with utmost secrecy.

Ranjith was arrested in Idukki district while travelling for a scheduled event. He was earlier held at Thodupuzha for necessary formalities and was later handed over to the Kochi City Police for further investigation.

Before escalating the matter, the actress filed a formal grievance with the film's Internal Complaints Committee (ICC). The committee reviewed the grievance and passed the case over to the Kerala Police for further investigation.

This is not the first time Ranjith has been accused of inappropriate behaviour with actresses.

Previous allegations against Ranjith

Ranjith was one of the many accused in sexual assault cases that have gripped Mollywood following the Hema Committee expose in 2024. Two FIRs were filed against the director following the complaints of a Bengali actress. The complaint alleged that he touched the actress inappropriately with sexual intent after offering her to act in the film Paleri Manukyam in 2009. Following this, celebs from the Malayalam film industry asked for his resignation as the film academy chairman. However, Ranjith denied the allegations, claiming he is the “real victim” in the situation.

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