Jailed filmmaker Ranjith fails to twist law to his advantage; court rules voting rights don’t apply in custody

Filmmaker Ranjith, currently behind bars over sexual assault allegations, found out the hard way that being a star doesn’t get you a free pass, even to cast a vote. The Ernakulam court on Wednesday flatly refused his plea for interim bail just to participate in Thursday’s Kerala polls.

Ranjith, who has been in judicial custody since the start of the month after a young actress accused him of sexual assault, had asked the court to grant him temporary freedom to vote. His lawyers argued that voting is a fundamental democratic right. This is a claim that may sound noble but didn’t impress the court.

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The prosecution, not mincing words, argued that bail cannot be handed out just so someone can exercise their franchise. And the court agreed, citing the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which clearly bars anyone in custody from voting.

Procedural chaos doesn’t help

Ranjith wasn’t even brought to court when the matter was first heard. Police told the bench that their hands were tied due to election duties, and he would only be produced after polling ends, likely on April 10.

The defence tried to twist this into a reason for interim bail, claiming the delay was unfair. But the court wasn’t buying it, leaving Ranjith stuck in jail while the state votes without him.