SC grants interim protection from arrest to Malayalam actor Siddique in rape case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday granted interim protection from arrest to Malayalam film actor Siddique against the Kerala High Court order, which rejected his plea for anticipatory bail in a rape case.

A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma granted interim relief to the actor and issued notice to the Kerala government and others.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi appeared for the petitioner.

In its order, the bench said, "In the meantime, it is directed that in the event of arrest of the petitioner in connection with the case of 2024 of the Museum Police Station, Thiruvananthapuram, he shall be released on bail, subject to the conditions that may be imposed by the Trial Court and subject to his joining the investigation and remaining present before the Investigating Officer as and when called upon to do so, till the next date of hearing," the bench said.

The case against Siddique was registered based on a complaint by an actress who accused him of raping her at the Mascot Hotel in Thiruvananthapuram in 2016.

The Malayalam film industry, Mollywood, has been rocked with 17 cases of sexual harassment having been registered following complaints lodged by victims in the wake of the release of the Justice Hema Committee report.

Siddique has reportedly been missing since the High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea on September 24. A lookout notice was issued against Siddique Mamathu on behalf of Superintendent of Police, Crime Branch, Thiruvananthapuram (Member of the Special Investigation Team).

In his plea, Siddique challenged the High Court's order which had said that in view of the seriousness of the accusations he was facing, his custodial interrogation was inevitable for proper investigation of the crime.

The High Court had observed that the material placed on record prima facie showed that Siddique may be involved in the crime. Siddique also resigned from his position as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), along with its 17-member executive committee, in light of the allegations.

The Justice Hema Committee, established after the 2017 actress assault case, highlighted the exploitation of women in Malayalam cinema, leading to multiple FIRs being registered against high-profile actors and directors. Other actors implicated in sexual assault cases include Jayasurya, Edavela Babu, and Maniyanpilla Raju.

Except for Siddique, all of them have been granted anticipatory bail.