Sexual assault case: Director Ranjith sent to police custody

KOCHI: Director Ranjith, who was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a young actress, has been sent to police custody by the court. He will remain in custody till Monday.

A new counsel, senior advocate S Rajeev, appeared for Ranjith after his previous lawyer stepped down. The defence argued that the court should consider Ranjith's health condition and grant him bail. However, the prosecution opposed this, stating that the offence was serious in nature.

Although the First Class Judicial Magistrate Court in Kochi had considered the case the other day, it was postponed as the production warrant had not been prepared. Police were initially unable to question Ranjith in detail as he faced health issues after his arrest. They subsequently sought custody for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday for further interrogation.

As part of further investigation, police will summon those who were present on the film set on the day of the incident. Many of them are currently outside Kerala, reportedly in Mumbai, and have been asked to reach Kochi soon. Ranjith was arrested following a complaint by a young actress, who alleged that he misbehaved with her inside a caravan at a shooting location in Fort Kochi on January 28.

He was taken into custody by the Thodupuzha Police after intercepting his car near Muttam on the Thodupuzha-Puliyanmala route. The actress had filed her complaint with the DGP and the Kochi Central Police. She is currently acting in a film directed by Ranjith. According to the complaint, Ranjith allegedly entered the caravan without permission, physically assaulted her, and attempted to kiss her.