Supreme Court grants interim protection to actor Siddiqui in rape case

The Supreme Court of India on Monday granted interim protection from arrest to Malayalam film actor Siddique in a rape case registered against him. The decision came while hearing Siddique’s petition challenging the recent denial of his anticipatory bail by the Kerala High Court.

A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma issued notice to the Kerala government and the victim, seeking their response. During the proceedings, the court raised queries about the delay in filing the complaint against Siddique, which was answered by advocate Vrinda Grover, representing the victim. Grover highlighted the findings of the Justice Hema Committee report, which detailed widespread harassment and sexual abuse within the Malayalam film industry, to provide context for the belated complaint.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Siddiqui, argued that the complaint filed in 2024 came eight years after the alleged incidents. He argued that this delay was part of a “long campaign of harassment and false allegations” against Siddiqui that began in 2019.*

On September 24, the Kerala High Court had refused to grant anticipatory bail to Siddiquee, citing the gravity of the charges, which, according to the court, required his custodial interrogation for a thorough investigation. Siddiquee is charged under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

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