A magistrate court has granted bail to Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith, who was arrested on March 31 in connection with a sexual harassment case. According to PTI, Judicial First Class Magistrate L Usha allowed his release while imposing several strict conditions.
The court directed Ranjith to surrender his passport and barred him from leaving Ernakulam district. He has also been prohibited from entering the Fort Kochi location where the alleged incident took place during a film shoot. In addition, he must execute a bond of ₹1 lakh and provide two solvent sureties of the same amount. The court has further instructed him to appear before the investigating officer every Monday for the next three months or until the charge sheet is filed.
Currently lodged in Ernakulam Sub Jail, Ranjith is expected to be released shortly. During the hearing, the prosecution opposed bail, arguing that he had not cooperated with the investigation. The defence, however, maintained that he had not resisted arrest or custodial questioning and also pointed to his health condition. Taking these factors into account along with the progress of the investigation, the court granted him bail.
Earlier, after being remanded, Ranjith spoke to the media and denied all allegations, calling them false. He expressed confidence that he would be able to prove his innocence. His lawyer also indicated that legal preparations were underway to secure his release.
Kochi City Police Commissioner S Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar said a Special Investigation Team was constituted after the complaint was filed, and the allegations were verified before the arrest.
The case relates to accusations that the filmmaker attempted to sexually assault an actress during a film shoot. A First Information Report was registered on March 28 based on her statement, and Ranjith was later taken into custody from Idukki district.
In her complaint, the actress alleged that he called her into a caravan during the shoot and tried to assault her. Police have registered the case under multiple charges, including sexual assault, wrongful confinement, outraging the modesty of a woman and making obscene gestures.
