Siddique is likely to appear before the SIT after SC got interim protection from arrest

Kochi: Malayalam film actor Siddique, who is accused of raping a woman artiste eight years ago, is likely to appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Monday after the Supreme Court granted him interim protection from arrest. The actor has been living incommunicado since the Kerala High Court rejected his application for early bail last week. The state police then issued a circular against him.

During a hearing on Siddique’s challenge to the Supreme Court’s decision, Justices Bela M. Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma issued notices to the Kerala government and the victim.

On September 24, the Kerala High Court denied Siddique’s early bail in the rape case, saying that due to the gravity of the allegations, his questioning in custody was necessary for a proper investigation.

Siddique, who was charged under Sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), alleged in his plea that the complainant had subjected him to a “sustained campaign of harassment and false accusations” since 2019.”

The case comes amid several FIRs lodged against prominent figures in the Malayalam film industry after allegations of sexual harassment came to light in the Justice K Hema Committee report.