Karnataka HC clears filmmaker Ranjith of charges

The Karnataka High Court on Friday dismissed a sexual assault case filed against Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith Balakrishnan by an aspiring actor. The case was quashed by a bench led by Justice S.R. Krishna Kumar, following arguments from Ranjith’s legal team highlighting major inconsistencies in the complaint.

Senior advocate Prabhuling Navadgi argued that the alleged assault was claimed to have occurred in 2012 at the Taj Hotel near Bengaluru International Airport. However, the hotel only opened in 2016, making the complaint factually incorrect. The complainant had alleged that Ranjith invited him to the hotel’s fourth floor, forced him into unnatural sex, and took nude photos that were allegedly sent to a Kerala actress.

Based on the complaint, police had filed charges under IPC Section 377 and Section 66(E) of the IT Act. Ranjith later approached the High Court to seek quashing of the FIR. Earlier, Justice M. Nagaprasanna had stayed proceedings, noting multiple contradictions and a 12-year delay in filing the complaint without a valid reason.

The court concluded that the case appeared to be a clear example of a false complaint and that the delay further weakened its credibility. Ranjith has consistently denied the accusations, calling them baseless and motivated by malice.

He is one of several prominent Malayalam filmmakers named in allegations of misconduct following the release of the Justice K. Hema Committee report on the status of women in the Malayalam film industry.