The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to Malayalam actor Siddique in connection with a rape case. A bench comprising Justices Bela M. Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma accepted the bail plea moved on behalf of the actor. While asking him to surrender his passport before the concerned trial court and cooperate fully with the investigation.
The Court, however, did not go into elaborate reasons for the grant of anticipatory bail considering the sensitivity of the case. The court also noted that the complainant filed the FIR related to the case almost eight years later. Following the date of the alleged incident with the complainant posting about it on Facebook in 2018.
Counsel appearing for Siddique, Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, pointed out the delay in filing the FIR and that the complainant has also accused other persons. He also pointed out that Siddique had no intentions to flee the investigation process. Adding the actor had met the complainant only once during a movie preview.
Senior Advocate Ranjit Kumar, representing the Kerala Government, questioned why the complainant attended a private program like a film preview, where only a selected few were present.
Victim’s advocate Vrinda Grover said it takes a lot of courage on the part of a woman to come forward and speak about a rape incident.
Earlier, the Kerala police issued a lookout notice against Siddique, suspecting that he had fled the state. The notice was sent to district police chiefs in Kerala and police forces across the country. This came after the Kerala High Court rejected Siddique’s anticipatory bail plea.
The case is being investigated by a Special Investigation Team appointed by the Kerala government. The Museum police in Thiruvananthapuram registered a case against Siddique on August 27. Booking him under sections pertaining to rape and criminal intimidation. A young female actor had filed the complaint, though Siddique has denied the charges.
The case part forms of the greater #MeToo movement within the Malayalam film industry that has brought several allegations of sexual abuse to the fore. Following the allegation, Siddique resigned as General Secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists-AMMA. Along with the entire 17-member executive committee of AMMA.
Several women in the industry have raised serious allegations against prominent figures, such as director Ranjith and actors Mukesh, Jayasurya, and Edavela Babu. The Justice Hema Committee’s report, which detailed numerous accounts of harassment, exploitation, and abuse within the industry, sparked these allegations. The report further highlighted that powerful male figures control the Malayalam film industry.
ANI
