The Supreme Court on Monday granted interim protection from arrest to Malayalam actor Siddique in connection with a sexual assault case filed against him by an actress. This decision came just days after the Kerala High Court rejected Siddique’s plea for pre-arrest bail in the same case.
A bench comprising Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma provided Siddique with pre-arrest bail on the condition that he appear before the police for questioning and fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation. The court also issued notices to the Kerala government and the complainant actress during the hearing of Siddique’s plea challenging the Kerala High Court’s earlier decision.
The case against Siddique stems from an FIR registered by the Trivandrum Museum Police in August this year. The charges include non-bailable offenses under Section 376 (rape) and Section 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The actress who filed the complaint alleged that she had been sexually assaulted by Siddique.
In his defense, Siddique claimed that the allegations were part of a “prolonged campaign of harassment and false accusations” initiated by the complainant since 2019. He also argued that the allegations were motivated by his involvement in a press conference held by the Association of Malayalam Movie Actors (AMMA) after the release of the Justice Hema Committee report.
The Justice Hema Committee report, published after a comprehensive investigation, revealed the extent of sexual harassment faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. Several women came forward with allegations of inappropriate advances and harassment by high-profile industry figures, some even before they began working on projects.
In the wake of the report’s revelations, multiple FIRs have been filed against prominent Malayalam film personalities, with several facing accusations of sexual harassment. The report has sparked widespread discussions about the culture of harassment in the industry and prompted legal actions against several accused individuals.
The Supreme Court’s decision to grant Siddique interim relief will allow the actor to avoid immediate arrest, but the investigation into the allegations against him will continue. As the legal process unfolds, the case adds to the growing scrutiny of sexual harassment in the Malayalam film industry, particularly following the findings of the Hema Committee.
