A magistrate court in Ernakulam today remanded Malayalam film director Ranjith Balakrishnan to judicial custody till April 13 following his arrest in a sexual harassment case on Tuesday evening.
The Ernakulam police had registered the First Information Report (FIR) against the filmmaker based on a complaint by an actress who alleged that Balakrishnan had attempted to sexually assault her inside a caravan at a film shooting location on January 30 this year.
Acting on the complaint, the police recorded her confidential statement and proceeded to arrest the director.
Balakrishnan has been charged under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including non-bailable offences under Section 74 (assault or criminal force to women with intent to outrage her modesty), Section 75 (sexual harassment) and Section 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).
According to reports, Balakrishnan was taken into custody by the police from Thodupuzha on March 31.
Following his arrest, he complained of uneasiness and was shifted to Ernakulam General Hospital for medical examination. However, the hospital authorities confirmed that there were no serious health concern.
He was later produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court which remanded him to judicial custody this morning. He is currently lodged in Ernakulam Sub Jail.
The police in the remand report referred to Balakrishnan's past cases, stating that there were similar allegations against him in the past and added that releasing him from jail at this stage could derail the investigation.
Balakrishnan has maintained that the case against him is false.
This is not the first instance of sexual harassment allegations being levelled against the director.
In 2024, a Bengali actress had accused him of attempting to molest her during a film discussion in 2009, following which an FIR was registered. These allegations surfaced after the release of the Justice Hema Committee report, which shed light on the systemic issues of sexual exploitation and harassment in the Malayalam film industry.
However, in October 2025, the Kerala High Court quashed the case noting the considerable delay in lodging the complaint.
In July the same year, the Karnataka High Court quashed an unnatural sex case filed against Balakrishnan by an aspiring male actor.