SC grants interim protection from arrest to Malayalam actor Siddique

The court then asked: ‘What did you do for eight years? What stopped you from filing a complaint for eight years?’

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Kerala government in the case, opposed the grant of anticipatory bail, saying, “There are areas in society where there is no sunlight and no sanitation.”

“He has acted in 365 Malayalam films. It is not possible for victims to talk about such perpetrators,” Bhati said, adding that the state government is taking the matter very seriously and there are 29 cases related to the Malayalam film industry investigated.

On September 24, the Kerala HC rejected Siddique’s anticipatory bail plea in the rape case, saying that considering the seriousness of the allegations, his custodial interrogation is inevitable for proper investigation into the crime.

Because Siddique’s defense “completely denied” the incident, his potency test has yet to be conducted and there is a “reasonable fear” that he might intimidate witnesses and tamper with evidence, “it is not an appropriate case to pursue.” the discretionary powers of the court” to grant him the relief.

However, the Supreme Court has made it clear that the observations it made in the order should not be construed as expressing the merits of the case.

Siddique, who was charged with offenses under Sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), has alleged in his plea that the complaining female actor had subjected him to a ‘prolonged campaign of intimidation and false accusations’. allegations since 2019″.

In his prescient bail plea before the High Court, he had alleged that she had repeatedly made unsubstantiated and false claims of sexual misconduct over the past five years, including ‘verbal sexual offers’ he made at a theater in 2016.