Supreme Court extends Malayalam actor Siddique’s pre-arrest bail in rape case, questions delay in filing complaint

The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended the pre-arrest bail of Malayalam actor Siddique in a rape case by two weeks and questioned the delay in filing a complaint against the 61-year-old.

The extension came weeks after the high court granted Siddique pre-arrest bail on September 30 on the condition that he appear before the police for questioning and cooperate with the investigation.

The case was registered on August 19 following a complaint filed by an actor, in which she alleged that Siddique raped her in a hotel in 2016. In the same year, he also tried to sexually assault her in a theater before the incident. rape. .

On Tuesday, a bench comprising Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma made the observation while hearing the anticipatory bail plea filed by Siddique.

“Is the complaint filed after 8 years?” asked Justice Trivedi.

In response, senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the state of Kerala, said that although the complainant had highlighted the incident on Facebook years ago, it takes a survivor to muster the courage to officially report such an incident.

“She has been writing on Facebook. It took time to gain courage,” said Kumar.

Echoing Kumar’s remarks, Vrinda Grover, another lawyer who appeared for the complainant, said, “It is not a matter of silence for 8 years. It takes time and she faced consequences.”

Appearing for Siddique, senior advocate VV Giri sought time to file a rejoinder to the status report filed by the Kerala Police opposing his petition and informed the court that the actor had appeared before the investigating officer after he was granted bail before the prison.

The actor denied the allegations made against him and said that the whistleblower subjected him to a “prolonged campaign of harassment and false accusations since 2019”.

He, however, stepped down as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Film Artists (AMMA).

The actress came forward with her case following the release of the Hema Committee report that shed light on the widespread and persistent sexual harassment faced by women in Malayalam cinema, with many alleging that they were subjected to unwanted advances even before they started working.

Several FIRs have been registered against many prominent personalities of Malayalam cinema following allegations of sexual harassment against them following the revelations made in the Hema Committee report.