On Monday, the Supreme Court granted interim anticipatory bail to Malayalam actor Siddique in a rape case filed by an actress. The bench, consisting of Justice Bela M Trivedi and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, provided protection from arrest, directing Siddique to cooperate within the investigation.
Siddique, accused of raping the actress at a Thiruvananthapuram hotel in 2016, had sought anticipatory bail following an FIR. The complaint was filed in 2024 after an 8-year delay, following the public release of the Justice K Hema Committee report, which exposed widespread sexual misconduct in the Malayalam film industry. The Kerala High Court had previously rejected Siddique’s bail application, citing potential witness influence and the need for custodial interrogation.
During the hearing, Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Siddique, highlighted the delay and parity with other accused. The court acknowledged these arguments and granted interim protection, stating that Siddique should not be arrested, provided he cooperated with the investigation. The case is now under investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).