The Judicial First Class Magistrate-I, Ernakulam, has remanded Malayalam film director Ranjith Balakrishnan to judicial custody till April 13 following his arrest in a sexual harassment case on Tuesday evening. He was subsequently sent to the Ernakulam Sub Jail.
Ranjith was taken into custody by the police from Thodupuzha in Idukki district late on Tuesday following a complaint from a young actress. He was later brought to Kochi, where his arrest was formally recorded.
Earlier, the Ernakulam police had registered a First Information Report (FIR) against him based on the complaint, in which the actress alleged that Ranjith had attempted to sexually assault her inside a caravan at a film shooting location on January 30 this year. Based on the complaint, the police recorded her confidential statement and proceeded to arrest the director.
Ranjith has been charged under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including non-bailable offences under Section 74 (assault or criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), Section 75 (sexual harassment), and Section 79 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).
In the remand report, the police referred to Ranjith’s past cases, stating that there were similar allegations against him earlier, and added that releasing him at this stage could derail the investigation.
This is not the first instance of sexual harassment allegations being levelled against the director. In 2024, a Bengali actress had accused him of attempting to molest her during a film discussion in 2009, following which an FIR was registered. These allegations surfaced after the release of the Justice Hema Committee report, which shed light on systemic issues of sexual exploitation and harassment in the Malayalam film industry.
However, in October 2025, the Kerala High Court quashed the case, noting the considerable delay in lodging the complaint. In July 2025, the Karnataka High Court also quashed an unnatural sex case filed against Balakrishnan by an aspiring male actor.
Speaking to the media outside the Magistrate’s residence, Ranjith denied the sexual assault allegations, claiming they were part of a larger conspiracy.