Second case against director Ranjith on male actor's complaint
Kozhikode(Kerala) (PTI): A second case for a sexual offence has been registered against director Ranjith on a complaint by a male actor in this district, police said on Saturday.
An FIR under sections 377 (unnatural offence) of the IPC and section 66 E (punishment for violation of privacy) of the Information Technology (IT) Act was lodged against the director on Friday night at the Kasaba police station, a senior police officer of the district said.
The complainant actor has alleged that the director called him to a hotel in Bengaluru in 2012, asked him to strip and took his nude photos.
The complainant also claimed, before TV channels, that the photos were sent to a well known veteran female actor who has denied the allegation.
The first case against Ranjith was under IPC Section 354 (assault or criminal force on woman with intent to outrage her modesty) on a complaint by a female actor from West Bengal regarding an incident which occurred in 2009.
She had alleged that the director had touched her inappropriately with sexual intent after inviting her to act in the movie Paleri Manikyam in 2009.
Following the allegation by the actor, Ranjith had resigned from his post as chairman of Kerala Chalachitra Academy.
Multiple FIRs have been registered against many high profile Malayalam film personalities following allegations of sexual harassment against various directors and actors in the wake of revelations in the Justice K Hema Committee report.
The Justice Hema Committee was constituted by the Kerala government after the 2017 actress assault case and its report revealing instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry.
Following the allegations of sexual harassment and exploitation cropping up against several actors and directors
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Women's bill: This is democracy, not Hitler rule, says Dy CM Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday criticised the BJP-led Centre over the timing and handling of the Women’s Reservation Amendment Bill, saying the opposition was not taken into confidence.
He also called for wider consultation in a democratic framework.
The deputy CM said the Congress has consistently supported women’s reservation, but objected to the manner in which the Bill was brought forward, alleging that it was introduced without adequate discussion with opposition parties.
“This is democracy; this is not a Hitler-style rule. They cannot bring it in the middle of elections and try to alter the entire constituencies,” Shivakumar told reporters here.
The Deputy Chief Minister maintained that the move should have been discussed across party lines.
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“They have to take everyone into confidence, but they have not done that. That is why the opposition parties have done a very good job. So, it is a victory of the INDIA alliance,” Shivakumar, who is Congress Karnataka unit president, said.
He was speaking about the setback to the BJP-led Central government, where a Constitution Amendment Bill to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816 was defeated on Friday, with the ruling dispensation asserting that the struggle to give the rights to women will continue.
While 298 members voted in support of the bill in Lok Sabha, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the bill required 352 votes for a two-third majority.
According to the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, Lok Sabha seats were to be increased to 816 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
Seats were also to be increased in state and Union territory assemblies to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women.
Responding to BJP’s charge that the Congress is anti-women, he said, “This is not anyone’s personal property—women are the nation’s asset. We had passed this in the Rajya Sabha and Congress has already given 50 per cent reservation to women in local bodies. Even today, we support it.”
Alleging that the proposed changes could impact regional representation, Shivakumar said, “Without consulting us, they are trying to redraw constituencies, giving more weight to North India and reducing representation in South India. No one can tolerate this.”
He added that leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and several South Indian Chief Ministers have opposed the move, terming the defeat of the bills a "major victory for democracy".
The Congress Karnataka chief asserted that the Congress and the INDIA bloc stand firmly in support of women’s rights.
