Malayalam actor Siddique arrested in rape case, later released on bail; to be produced in court soon

Malayalam actor Siddique

Malayalam actor Siddique was arrested on December 6 in connection with a sexual assault case. He is expected to be produced in court soon. However, since the Supreme Court had granted him anticipatory bail, he is likely to be released shortly.

Actor Siddique was arrested on Friday, December 6, in connection with a rape case but was immediately released on bail. He appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating complaints linked to the Hema Committee report, accompanied by his lawyer. Following his arrest, Siddique underwent a medical check-up at the Thiruvananthapuram General Hospital and is expected to be produced in court before being allowed to go.

On November 19, the Supreme Court granted anticipatory bail to Siddique after the Kerala High Court had denied it, citing evidence suggesting his involvement in the crime and the necessity of custodial interrogation. During the bail hearing, the SC bench, led by Justice Bela M. Trivedi, raised questions about the survivor’s delayed complaint, despite her posting about the incident on Facebook in 2019.

The case dates back to August this year when a female actor accused Siddique of sexually assaulting her in 2016. An FIR was filed against him under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

The survivor, a young woman, alleged that Siddique invited her to a hotel and sexually assaulted her. While Siddique denied the allegations, he resigned from his position as the general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). His whereabouts remained unclear for several days until his bail hearing at the Kerala High Court.

Actor Siddique was booked by the Museum police in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, on August 27 under charges of rape and criminal intimidation. Following the allegations, Siddique stepped down as the general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA).

In his bail plea before the Supreme Court, Siddique's primary defense focused on questioning the survivor's credibility, pointing to her Facebook posts and the delay in filing the complaint. He submitted 17 annexures, 12 of which were her social media posts. This argument was also made in the Kerala High Court, where it was dismissed as "unwarranted and uncharitable."

The woman’s complaint emerged shortly after the release of the Hema Committee report, which exposed widespread sexual harassment and abuse of power in the Malayalam film industry. This sparked a renewed MeToo movement in Kerala, with other survivors coming forward following the publication of a redacted version of the report in August.