On Saturday, a court ordered three days of police custody for Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith, who had been arrested over an alleged sexual harassment incident that occurred on a film set. Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate Selmath RM approved the police petition requesting three days’ custody of Ranjith, granting it until Monday evening.
Ranjith was brought before the court from the Ernakulam sub-jail, where he had been held for the last three days. He also filed a bail petition in the case, claiming innocence.Ranjith's counsel argued that the arrest was carried out without following due procedure and cited his health condition while seeking bail. The court said it would consider the bail plea later.
Ranjith was taken into custody on Tuesday night in Thodupuzha after an actress filed a complaint with the police, alleging that he sexually harassed her inside a caravan during a film shoot in Fort Kochi. Meanwhile, advocate S Rajeev, representing Ranjith, told reporters that the arrest violated Supreme Court directions.
"The Supreme Court has specifically directed that an arrest can be made only in offences attracting more than seven years of punishment. Otherwise, a notice should be issued to the accused, or adequate reasons must be stated before the court," he said.
Rajeev added that Ranjith has several health issues, which were also raised before the court when the police custody application was considered.
He stated that the bail application has been scheduled for April 7, and that Ranjith will be brought before the court again on April 6. He further noted that a situation has emerged where anyone could be arrested based on such allegations, warning that this is becoming a trend.
If arrests are carried out like this, what purpose does the Supreme Court serve? This is a blatant breach of the Supreme Court’s directives, he said.