The Supreme Court granted anticipatory bail to Malayalam actor Siddique in a rape case involving allegations from a young actress on Thursday. The bench, comprising Justices Bela Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma, made an earlier interim bail permanent during a hearing on November 19.
We are conscious of the case’s sensitivity,” the court said. It referred to the delay in filing the complaint, eight years after the alleged 2016 incident. The bench also pointed out that the complainant had, in fact, posted accusations against Siddique and others on Facebook in 2018 but approached police only in August 2024.
Justice Trivedi questioned, “She had courage for FB post but can’t approach police for 8 years?” Siddique’s lawyer, Mukul Rohatgi argued that the delay and inconsistencies in the complainant’s story raised doubts about her claims.
Actor Siddique rape case: Court asks actor to surrender passport
The court ordered Siddique to surrender his passport and cooperate with the investigation. However, the trial court can impose additional conditions.
In fact, the lawyers for the actor pointed to a general rancor between the AMMA where Siddique is a member, and the Women in Cinema Collective where the complainant is a member. This was what may have led to the timing of the allegations, they argued.
A lawyer for Kerala, Ranjit Kumar, asked Siddique why he invited the complainant, a relatively unknown actress then, to the preview of a film in 2016. The complainant, represented by lawyer Vrinda Grover, alleged that Siddique took advantage of the invitation to sexually exploit her.
The defense argued that Siddique was innocent and cooperative with the police. They also disputed allegations of evidence being manipulated, pointing out that no summons had been issued against the actor since mid-October.
The case gained momentum after the Justice Hema Committee’s report in 2024, which exposed systemic exploitation in the Malayalam film industry. The complainant motivated her formal complaint with the report after years of silence.
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