Supreme Court extends interim bail granted to Malayalam actor Siddique in rape case

The Supreme Court today (October 22) extended interim interim bail granted to Malayalam actor Siddique in a rape case registered against him based on allegations made by a young actress two weeks ago.

A bench including Justices Bela Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma adjourned the hearing after Senior Advocate V Giri, for Siddique, sought time to file a reply to the status report filed by the Kerala Police opposing his petition. He added that after the interim order of the Court, Siddique appeared before the investigating officer.

Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, for the State of Kerala, claimed that Siddique was not cooperating with the investigation and was destroying evidence.

When Justice Trivedi pointed out that the complaint was filed by the victim eight years after the alleged incident, Ranjit Kumar explained the developments related to the report of the Justice Hema Committee on Abuse of Women in the Malayalam Film Industry . Kumar contended that the victim mustered the courage to come forward with her allegations after the release of the Hema committee report and requested the Court to understand the delay in filing the FIR in this context.

“Since 2018, she has been writing continuously on Facebook” Kumar added. He maintained that Siddique destroyed the electronic gadgets and deactivated his social media account to hinder the investigation.

Kumar added that there are thirty FIRs filed by many other actresses and they are feeling demoralized because of granting protection to Siddique.

“My apprehension is twofold. The first is that he is not cooperating. When he arrives, he comes with a prepared statement that he will not respond to anything anymore and which he does not remember. Second, after the FIR, he closed his Facebook account. He doesn’t want us to have access to it. We have to go to third parties to access it. Kumar submitted.

Lawyer Vrinda Groveron behalf of the victim, said she had raised the subject several times on her Facebook account since 2018 and that “it’s hard to go against a superstar in the industry.” “She has already paid the price. There is now a judge’s report (Hema Justice Committee report) that compromise and adjustment is a trend in the industry,” Grover said.

Background

Following the release of the Justice Hema Committee report on exploitation of women in Malayalam cinema, the actress publicly stated that Siddique had sexually exploited her in 2016 when she met him in a hotel room after he offered her opportunities in the film industry. Following her public allegations, she filed an FIR under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code in 2024.

On September 30, a bench of Justices Bela M. Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma granted interim measures to Siqqique for two weeks. The bail order was subject to the conditions set by the trial court and its cooperation with the investigation.