SC gives Malayalam film actor Siddique interim protection from arrest in rape case
The Kerala High Court had denied Siddique anticipatory bail saying that the available evidence suggested his involvement in the matter.
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The Supreme Court on Monday granted Malayalam actor Siddique interim protection from arrest in a rape case registered against him on the complaint of a young actor, Live Law reported.
The woman has accused Siddique of raping her at a hotel in Thiruvananthapuram in 2016. The police booked Siddique for rape and criminal intimidation in August. He was also accused of illegally detaining and threatening the woman.
Siddique moved the Supreme Court seeking interim relief after the Kerala High Court denied him anticipatory bail on September 24. The High Court had noted that the available evidence suggested his involvement in the case.
The Kerala Police on Friday issued a lookout notice for Siddique, who absconded after being denied anticipatory bail. While the case against him was filed last month, the police did not take steps to arrest him until recently.
The complainant is among several women from the Malayalam film industry who have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct by their male colleagues after the release of the Justice Hema committee report.
Siddique’s petition in the High Court had contended that the allegations against him were made in retaliation for a press conference he had addressed alongside the office bearers of the Association of Malayalam Movie Actors soon after the Justice Hema committee report was published.
The complainant had made the allegations against him in 2019, Siddique...
