Court grants three-day police custody of director Ranjith in sexual harassment case

Malayalam director Ranjith faces serious allegations of sexual harassment, leading to his arrest and three-day police custody.

Published on: Apr 4, 2026, 19:22:50 IST

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A court on Saturday granted three days' police custody of Malayalam director Ranjith, who was arrested in connection with an alleged sexual harassment incident on a film shooting set.

Malayalam director Ranjith was arrested in connection with an attempted sexual assault case. (PTI)

Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate Selmath RM allowed the petition filed by the police seeking custody of Ranjith for three days, granting it until Monday evening.

Ranjith was produced in the court from the Ernakulam sub-jail, where he had been lodged for the past three days.

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He also filed a bail petition in the case, claiming innocence.

Ranjith's counsel argued that the arrest was carried out without following due procedure and cited his health condition while seeking bail. The court said it would consider the bail plea later.

Ranjith was arrested on Tuesday night in Thodupuzha after an actress approached the police, alleging that he had sexually harassed her inside a caravan during a film shoot in Fort Kochi.

ALSO READ | Director Ranjith remanded to judicial custody in sexual assault case

Meanwhile, advocate S Rajeev, representing Ranjith, told reporters that the arrest violated Supreme Court directions.

"The Supreme Court has specifically directed that an arrest can be made only in offences attracting more than seven years of punishment. Otherwise, a notice should be issued to the accused, or adequate reasons must be stated before the court," he said.

Rajeev added that Ranjith has several health issues, which were also raised before the court when the police custody application was considered.

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He said the bail application has been posted for April 7, and that Ranjith would be produced again in the court on April 6.

He further noted that a situation has emerged where anyone could be arrested based on such allegations, warning that this is becoming a trend.

"If arrests are made in this manner, why is the Supreme Court there? This is a flagrant violation of Supreme Court directions," he said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.