Supreme Court grants actor Siddique interim protection from arrest – The Week

The Supreme Court on Monday granted Malayalam actor Siddique two-week protection from arrest in connection with a sexual assault case filed by an actress.

The plea was heard by a bench comprising Jusctice Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma. The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Kerala government challenging the Supreme Court’s decision denying his bail.

This came after Kerala High Court judge CS Dias rejected his anticipatory bail application citing materials on record that prima facie suggested his involvement. It added that the seriousness of the allegations required him to be questioned in custody.

The actress’ allegation had forced Siddique to resign as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA). She then filed a formal police report. The FIR was lodged under IPC sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

Siddique is among the actors who have been accused of sexual assault or harassment by women in the Malayalam film industry. These came after the release of the Justice Hema Committee report which brought to light the machinations faced by women artistes in Mollywood.