Malayalam actor Siddique granted interim protection by SC from arrest in rape case

On Monday, the Supreme Court granted anticipatory bail to Malayalam actor Siddique in a rape case filed against him by an actress. Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma provided interim protection from arrest, requiring Siddique to cooperate with the investigation.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi represented Siddique and emphasised the eight-year delay in the complaint’s filing. He argued, “I have been denied bail while others received it. The complaint was made in 2024, long after the alleged incident. There are merely some Facebook posts involved. Just because I am a public figure, it does not warrant this treatment. He will be available for questioning.” Following this, the Court granted him interim protection, stating, “Notice will be issued. Until then, the petitioner shall not be arrested, provided he participates in the investigation.”

This ruling came in response to an appeal against a Kerala High Court decision from September 24, which had denied him bail. Allegations against Siddique surfaced following the release of the Justice K Hema Committee Report on August 19, which highlighted significant sexual abuse and discrimination in the Malayalam film industry. The actress accused Siddique of raping her at the Mascot Hotel in Thiruvananthapuram in 2016 after she refused his demands for sexual favours in exchange for a role.

The case is under investigation by a Special Investigation Team established to address the allegations raised following the publication of the report. Siddique had initially absconded and sought bail from the High Court, where he claimed that the complainant had been harassing him since 2019 with various allegations.

During the hearing, advocate Vrinda Grover, representing the complainant, defended the timing of the complaint, highlighting the wider context of the Hema Committee's findings. The State of Kerala, represented by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, opposed the bail, citing the difficulty victims face in speaking out against well-known figures.