SIT files chargesheet against director Ranjith

This is the first chargesheet to be filed by the SIT constituted to probe the sexual harassment allegations levelled against film industry personalities in the wake of the K. Hema Committee report

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the sexual harassment case against director and former chairman of Kerala State Chalachitra Academy Ranjith filed the chargesheet before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Ernakulam, on Saturday.

This is the first chargesheet to be filed by the SIT constituted to probe the sexual harassment allegations levelled against film industry personalities in the wake of the K. Hema Committee report. The case against Mr. Ranjith was registered based on a complaint lodged by a Bengali actor in the wake of the panel report.

The case was registered under the Indian Penal Code Sections 354 (assaulting or using criminal force against a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty) and 509 (acts, words, or gestures that are intended to insult a woman’s modesty).

The investigation in the case was completed by a team led by Assistant Inspector General G. Poonguzhali in accordance with the directives of the Kerala High Court.

The SIT could not meet the survivor in person and, hence, collected her statement and completed other procedures like recording her statement before the magistrate online.

She reportedly repeated the allegations she raised in her media interactions in her statement to the investigation team.

The Ernakulam Town North Police had booked the case against Mr. Ranjith following a complaint of the survivor. The actor had stated that Mr. Ranjith had invited her to his flat to discuss a movie in 2009.

Mr. Ranjith, on his part, contended that he was innocent of the allegations levelled against him and that he was falsely implicated in the case. He also pointed out that the actor did not choose to file a complaint 15 years ago after the alleged offence.

Published - November 16, 2024 09:18 pm IST