Popular Malayalam director Ranjith, against whom a case under IPC Section 354 (assault or criminal force on woman with intent to outrage her modesty) was registered in the wake of the allegations of sexual harassment by Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra, moved Kerala High Court, seeking anticipatory bail.
There is also a second case filed against the director following the complaint from a Kerala man who accused Ranjith of sexually abusing him and sending his nude pics to Revathi.
READ MORE: Mollywood sex scandal: Kerala man claims director Ranjith sent his nude pics to Revathi
According to Live Law, the director denied allegations levelled against him by Sreelekha Mitra and said he had been falsely implicated.
Ranjith claimed that she was disappointed that she wasn't selected for a role in a movie. Sreelekha Mitra had alleged that the director had touched her inappropriately with sexual intent after inviting her to act in the movie Paleri Manikyamin 2009.
Further, the director said several others were present at the flat when the alleged incident happened, but the actor remained silent about this.
Ranjith said he had undergone surgery recently and is suffering from various ailments.
He said he is willing to cooperate with the investigation.
The director also claimed that people with vested interests, who wanted him out of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy are behind the case against him. In the wake of the allegations, Ranjith resigned from his post as chairman of the academy.
The allegations of sexual harassment against Ranjith and several other prominent names in the Malayalam movie industry came after Justice Hema Committee, constituted by the Kerala government after the 2017 actor assault case, released its report, revealing instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry.