Filmmaker Ranjith was booked on August 31, in a second sexual assault case based on a complaint filed by a 33-year-old man. The survivor told TNM that the alleged assault occurred in 2012 in Bengaluru.
The police confirmed that a first information report (FIR) was registered against Ranjith under Section 377 (punishment for unnatural sex) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act.
Speaking to TNM, the survivor stated that he provided a statement to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing sexual abuse cases involving film personalities in Kerala on August 30. He alleged that Ranjith called him to a Bengaluru hotel to discuss his entry into cinema and then sexually assaulted him. The survivor also claimed that Ranjith took nude photos of him. "He took my photos and sent them to someone. When I asked who it was, he said it was actor Revathy. But I don't know if it was her to whom he shared them," the survivor told TNM.
When contacted by TNM, Revathy responded, "I am aware of the news circulating in the media regarding Ranjith and me. I have not received the photos as is being alleged, so I don't feel the need to comment on this."
The survivor further told the media that he met Ranjith during the shooting of the Malayalam film Bavuttiyude Namathil in December 2012. When he approached the filmmaker for a role, Ranjith gave him his mobile number and asked him to call.
Ranjith was previously booked on August 26 in a case based on a complaint by a Bengali actor, who alleged that he sexually harassed her in 2009. She had spoken out about the incident after the publication of the Hema Committee report, which detailed issues faced by women in Malayalam cinema. Following this, Ranjith resigned from his post as chairperson of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy.