In a significant legal development, the Kerala High Court has dismissed a long-standing case of alleged attempted outrage of modesty against prominent film director Ranjith. The court’s decision effectively quashes the proceedings that were pending against the filmmaker.
The case originated from a complaint by a Bengali actress, who alleged that in 2009, during a meeting at Ranjith’s apartment to discuss a film, he had behaved inappropriately. She claimed he held her hand and attempted to touch her with sexual intent. Her allegations came to light in the wake of the K. Hema Committee report, which investigated challenges faced by women in the Malayalam film industry.
Key Judicial Observations
Despite the alleged incident occurring in 2009, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) only filed a chargesheet against Mr. Ranjith in November 2024. The First Information Report (FIR) itself was registered in August 2024, a staggering fifteen years after the alleged event.
On Monday, a bench presided over by Justice C. Pratheep Kumar quashed the proceedings that were underway in the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, Ernakulam. The High Court emphasized that the magistrate court should not have taken cognizance of the complaint after such a considerable delay. The court highlighted that the maximum punishment for the alleged offense is two years imprisonment, while the statutory period for filing such a case is a mere three years from the date of the alleged occurrence.