Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith Balakrishnan has petitioned the Kerala High Court to dismiss a sexual harassment case brought against him by a Bengali actress. He claims the allegations, dating back to 2009, are false and part of a conspiracy, emphasizing the complaint is time-barred. The court will hear the case on January 27.
Kerala: Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith Balakrishnan has approached the Kerala High Court, seeking to quash a sexual harassment case filed against him by a Bengali actress. The court, presided over by Justice C Jayachandran, has issued notices to the State and the complainant and scheduled the matter for hearing on January 27.
The complaint alleges that in 2009, Ranjith invited the actress to his apartment under the guise of discussing a film project and inappropriately touched her with “sexual intent.” Based on this, an FIR was filed against him for offences under Sections 354 (outraging a woman’s modesty) and 509 (insulting a woman’s modesty) of the Indian Penal Code.
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Criminal proceedings are currently underway in the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, Ernakulam.
In his petition, Ranjith has strongly denied the accusations, describing them as “bogus” and alleging that they are part of a conspiracy.
“The complaint is bogus and is made without any bonafides. The statements of Joshy Joseph and his friends would make it very clear that the entire story is cooked up by him with the aid of the complainant,”
the plea reads.
He claims the complaint was filed in 2024—15 years after the alleged incident—making it time-barred under Section 468 of the CrPC, which limits the time frame for filing complaints.
Ranjith recently secured bail in a separate case of unnatural sex filed by an aspiring male actor in Karnataka. The Karnataka High Court, in granting bail, pointed out glaring factual inaccuracies in the case. The alleged incident was said to have taken place at the Taj Hotel near Bengaluru Airport, which opened only in 2016—four years after the claimed event.
Ranjith is one of several prominent figures in the Malayalam film industry facing allegations of sexual misconduct. These complaints have surged following the release of the Justice Hema Committee Report, which highlighted systemic discrimination and widespread sexual abuse against women in the industry.
The report has prompted numerous women to come forward with complaints against influential industry figures, marking a significant shift in addressing workplace harassment in Malayalam cinema.
Ranjith’s case is being handled by advocates Santheep Ankarath and Sherry MV.
As the court prepares to hear the matter on January 27, Ranjith contends that the delay in filing the complaint and the alleged conspiracy have caused him “harassment and damage to his reputation.”
Case Title – Ranjith Balakrishnan v State of Kerala
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