2 min readThiruvanananthapuramApr 1, 2026 12:16 AM IST
Malayalam film director Ranjith was arrested on Tuesday in connection with a sexual harassment case. Kochi police have registered the case based on a complaint from a young actor.
In 2024, he faced two cases that emerged from complaints following the release of the Hema Committee report, which looked into issues faced by women professionals in the Malayalam film industry.
Police said Ranjith, who has served as the chairman of the state-run Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, was picked from Thodupuzha in Idukki.
The case is based on a complaint filed in Kochi, after which the statement of the complainant was recorded. On Tuesday night, police waylaid Ranjith’s car in Thodupuzha and took him into custody.
After the Hema Committee report came out 2024, an actor had complained that Ranjith had misbehaved with her in 2009 in a flat in Kochi during an audition. Separately, another person had complained to Bengaluru police that Ranjith had lured him to a hotel room and sexually abused him in 2012. Last year, a court had quashed the case against him in Bengaluru.
Following the 2024 allegations, Ranjith resigned as chairman of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy. He has denied the allegations and said they were part of a concerted attack on him.
