KOZHIKODE: Director Ranjith has been granted anticipatory bail by the Principal District Court of Kozhikode for 30 days in a sexual assault case filed by a youth from Mankavu in Kozhikode. The youth had alleged that Ranjith sexually abused him when he sought a chance to act in a film. The court asked Ranjith to present two sureties and execute a bond of `50,000 each.
Based on the youth’s complaint, the Kozhikode Kasaba police had registered an FIR. According to the complainant, the incident took place in 2012 when he approached Ranjith, seeking an opportunity to act in films.
The youth claimed that he first met Ranjith during the shooting of a movie in Kozhikode, where the director provided him with a phone number written on a tissue paper and instructed him to reach Bengaluru two days later.
He alleged that after travelling to Bengaluru and arriving at the Taj Hotel around 10 pm, Ranjith directed him to enter the hotel through a back entrance. The youth further stated that Ranjith forced him to consume alcohol, after which the director stripped and assaulted him.
The Kasaba police have handed over the case to the Karnataka Police as the alleged crime took place in Bengaluru.