SC grants interim protection from arrest to actor Siddique in rape case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Monday granted interim protection from arrest to actor Siddique in a rape case against him while considering his anticipatory bail plea. The court restricted the probe team from arresting the actor for two weeks. The court has sent notices to the respondents in the case over the order.

Senior lawyer Mukul Rohtagi appeared before the apex court for Siddique. During the hearing, Rohtagi argued that the survivor filed a complaint against the actor eight years after the crime. Considering this argument, the bench of Justice Bela Madhurya Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma granted interim anticipatory bail to Siddique. The court asked the survivor and the state government to file an affidavit explaining why the complaint was delayed.

The Kerala government has taken a strong stand against the actor in the case. Manorama News reported that the government would oppose Siddique's anticipatory bail plea in the Supreme Court. The government informed the SC that granting bail to an influential person like Siddique would endanger the complainant's life. It is reported that a delay in filing the complaint will not affect the case. According to the state government, Siddique committed a serious offence. Additional Solicitor General of India, Supreme Court, Aishwarya Bhati, appeared for the government in the SC. 

The senior Malayalam actor approached the apex court after the Kerala High Court denied anticipatory bail to him on September 24. The Special Investigation Team confirmed that the actor is currently absconding from police. Though the police intensified the search for Siddique and issued a lookout notice against him, there is no clue about his hideout. 

As the actor remained elusive, the complainant made strong allegations against the police. Criticising the police, she alleged that they helped Siddique move to a hideout after the HC denied him bail. The female actor from Thiruvananthapuram also argued that Siddique destroyed the electronic evidence related to the case.

Museum police in Thiruvananthapuram booked the actor in a rape case after receiving a complaint from a female actor. The young actor filed her complaint against Siddique following the release of the Hema Committee report. The complainant alleged that Siddique raped her at the Mascot Hotel in the capital city on January 28, 2016, after the preview show of a movie. As the court rejected his bail plea, the SIT will likely record the arrest of the accused for an interrogation in the case. 

Apart from rape charges, Siddique is also facing charges under IPC Section 506 (criminal intimidation). The young actor came with a complaint against Siddique following the release of the Hema Committee report that exposed violence against women in the Malayalam film industry. As more women raised sexual assault allegations against actors, directors and production controllers, the state government formed a Special Investigation Team to probe into the cases.