Actor Siddique Rape Case Update: Supreme Court Extends Interim Bail, Case Deferred For 2 Weeks

Siddique Rape Case Update: As a consequence of the Justice Hema Committee expose, the Malayalam actor Siddique was charged in an alleged rape case. The serious allegations against the actor were levelled by a younger actress. In response, the actor filed an anticipatory bail plea, which was rejected by the High Court. The Mollywood actor then moved to the Supreme Court which granted him interim protection from arrest on September 30 and has now extended that time frame.

Supreme Court extends protection from arrest for Siddique

On October 22, a Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Bela Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma extended the interim bail petition filed by Siddique. As per Live Law, the bail was extended after, “Senior Advocate V Giri, for Siddique, sought time to file a rejoinder to the status report filed by the Kerala Police opposing his petition. He added that after the Court's interim order, Siddique has appeared before the investigating officer.”

This comes after the apex court granted interim protection from arrest on September 30 and directed the actor to cooperate with the investigation. However, the Kerala Polie argued that the senior industry star has been adding roadblocks in investigation by “working overtime to weaken the case”, as per PTI. The police also stated that fans of the actor have made a ‘mockery’ out of the serious matter by distributing sweets on the day the bail matter was first heard in the Supreme Court.

Kerala Police argues against Siddique 

The Supreme Court was informed by the Kerala Police that the interim protection from arrest granted to Malayalam film actor Siddique in a rape case had emboldened him, demoralised and intimidated not only the survivor but also others in the film industry. The affidavit filed by Ajichandran Nair, Assistant Commissioner of Police at Thiruvananthapuram city, said, “This has severely demoralised and intimidated not only the victim but also other powerless victims in the film industry who were warily waiting to see the outcome of the proceedings of the anticipatory bail hearing as the case is being widely reported upon by the media and attracting much public attention.” The police further said the witnesses who have boldly come forward after the Justice Hema Commission report, would step back if the interim protection to the accused was indefinitely prolonged.

“The process (of investigation) is a lengthy one and will provide ample opportunities and time for the accused to meddle with the investigation if his pre-arrest bail is extended indefinitely. It will create a barrier to effective investigation. In light of the complicated investigation involved in the crime that happened eight years ago, and the various layers of the sequence of events that needs to be unearthed as part of investigation, it is essential that the accused is in custody while the crucial investigation and evidence gathering is underway,” the police said. Considering the influence and clout of the accused some of the evidence will be tampered and witnesses will be threatened, said the police, underlining the actor’s custodial interrogation was “absolutely necessary”.

Siddique, who was booked for offences under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), has claimed in his plea that the complainant woman had subjected him to a “prolonged campaign of harassment and false accusations since 2019”.

Also Read: Pushpa 2: After Historic Success Of Stree 2, Shraddha Kapoor To Feature In Song Opposite Allu Arjun | Republic World

(With inputs from PTI)