Court defers interim bail plea of filmmaker Ranjith to April 10

Kochi: Ernakulam judicial magistrate court on Wednesday reserved its decision on the interim bail plea filed by filmmaker-actor Ranjith Balakrishnan in connection with a sexual harassment case, postponing the order to Friday.During the proceedings, public prosecutor strongly opposed the plea, arguing that an application for interim bail is not maintainable at this stage of investigation and should be dismissed. Court, however, stated that it would consider the bail application along with any additional submissions the prosecution may file before delivering its order.Prosecution further informed court that the accused has allegedly been uncooperative with the ongoing investigation and indicated the need for custodial interrogation to probe the matter in detail. In response, magistrate pointed out that no formal request seeking custody had been submitted so far, but clarified that if such an application is filed, it would be heard together with bail plea.On the other hand, the defence maintained that allegations against Ranjith are baseless and driven by ulterior motives linked to issues surrounding the film's production. The defence also raised the argument that voting is a fundamental right and should not be curtailed.Countering this, prosecution asserted that an accused person in custody is not entitled to exercise the right to vote, reinforcing its opposition to the defence's claims.Court is expected to deliver its decision after reviewing all submissions on Friday. Ranjith was remanded in judicial custody until April 13 at Ernakulam sub-jail.He was arrested last week following a complaint by a female actor. She alleged he attempted to sexually assault her on a film set.