SC grants Siddique interim bail in sexual assault case

A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma issued notice to the Kerala government and the victim in the case during the hearing of a plea by Siddique against a Kerala High Court order denying him interim bail . Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Siddique, submitted that a complaint was filed in 2024 after a lapse of eight years.

The top court initially asked lawyer Vrinda Grover, appearing on behalf of the victim, about the reason for the delay in registering the complaint against the actor.

The lawyer told the court that the Justice Hema Committee report, which exposed the shocking harassment and sexual exploitation faced by women in the Malayalam film industry, must be understood in the broader context.

On September 24, the Supreme Court had rejected Siddique’s anticipatory bail plea in the rape case, saying that considering the seriousness of the charges he was facing, his custodial interrogation was inevitable for proper investigation into the crime.

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″.

Actor Siddique is reportedly on the run after the Kerala High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea in connection with a rape and criminal intimidation case. The case, filed by a young actor, is currently being probed by a special investigation team of the Kerala government.

The museum police in Thiruvananthapuram registered the case against Siddique on August 27. Siddique has denied the allegations and filed a counter complaint against the accuser. A comprehensive court order is awaited in the case.

According to the actress, the incident of sexual assault took place at the hotel in 2016. The SIT conducted a thorough inspection of the hotel’s documents and records under the guidance of the Cantonment Assistant Commissioner. They gathered information from the hotel’s computer systems and guest register to substantiate the claims.

The actress claims that her name appears in the hotel’s guest register as of the date in question. The police had officially registered the case against Siddique, if found guilty he could face a jail term of up to seven years.

Following the allegations against him, Siddique resigned as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). AMMA’s entire 17-member executive committee also resigned in response to the controversy.

Prominent industry figures including director Ranjith and actors Mukesh, Jayasurya and Edavela Babu have also faced serious allegations of harassment.

The increase in these allegations follows the release of the Justice Hema Committee report on August 19, which shed light on the widespread harassment, exploitation and abuse of women in the Malayalam film industry. The report shows that a small group of male producers, directors and actors, about ten to fifteen people, dominate and control the industry.