Karnataka High Court stays sexual assault case against Director Ranjith, calls allegations false

The Karnataka High Court has stayed proceedings against filmmaker Ranjith Balakrishnan, who was accused of sexual assault by a 31-year-old aspiring actor. The complainant alleged that the incident took place in 2012 at the Taj Hotel near Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), Bengaluru.

Allegation and Case Transfer

The complainant, a resident of Kozhikode, initially filed the case with local police. Since the alleged offence occurred at a Bengaluru location, the case was transferred to the KIA police station under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 66E of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

The complaint detailed that Ranjith had called the aspiring actor to the hotel in 2012, where the alleged incident occurred on the fourth floor of the building. However, the accused challenged the claim, noting that the Taj Hotel near KIA began operations only in 2016.


Court Observations on Factual Inaccuracies
Ranjith also highlighted that the complaint was filed after a delay of 12 years and contained factual discrepancies, particularly regarding the location and timeline of the alleged events.

Justice M. Nagaprasanna, while reviewing the case, stated:
"I don't even say prima facie, as the Taj Hotel near Bengaluru international airport started its operation only in 2016, which is in the public domain, four years after the incident. Therefore, the vivid narration at the Taj Hotel is absolutely false. This is thus a canard."

The judge further noted that the unexplained delay of 12 years in filing the complaint raised questions about the credibility of the allegations.

Interim Stay on Proceedings
Justice Nagaprasanna concluded that the case demonstrated falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus—a legal principle suggesting that falsehood in one aspect undermines the entire testimony. Based on this reasoning, the court issued an interim stay on the investigation and related proceedings.

The court has issued emergent notices to the complainant and KIA police, directing them to respond. The case will be revisited on January 17, 2025, for further hearings.