Karnataka HC stays probe into sexual harassment case against Malayalam film director Ranjith

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has stayed further investigation in a sexual harassment case filed against renowned Malayalam film director Ranjith, after observing that the allegations appeared to be fabricated.

The complainant claimed he was sexually assaulted by Ranjith at the Taj Hotel near Bengaluru International Airport in 2012. However, the High Court noted that the hotel began operations only in 2016, rendering the allegations factually untenable.

“The complaint, on its face, is false. The Taj Hotel near Bengaluru International Airport began operations in 2016, which is four years after the alleged incident. This information is in the public domain. Therefore, the vivid description provided by the complainant is demonstrably false and amounts to a deliberate falsehood,” Justice M Nagaprasanna stated.

Additionally, the court highlighted the unexplained delay in filing the complaint, which was registered in 2024, a full 12 years after the purported incident. “The delay of 12 years remains entirely unexplained. This makes it a textbook case of falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus (false in one thing, false in everything),” the judge remarked.

The First Information Report (FIR) was filed under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (unnatural offences) and Section 66E of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

The complainant, who identified himself as an aspiring actor, alleged that Ranjith had invited him to a hotel room and subjected him to sexual harassment.

Representing Ranjith, senior advocate Prabhuling Navadgi and advocate Joseph Anthony argued for the stay of further investigation.

The case is scheduled to be revisited on January 17.