New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to veteran Malayalam actor Siddique in a rape case, subject to specific conditions, including the submission of his passport and cooperation with the investigation.
A bench comprising Justices Bela M. Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma considered the delay in filing the complaint, which was lodged in August, eight years after the alleged incident in 2016. The court had earlier granted Siddique interim protection from arrest on September 30.
Kerala Police, however, has accused Siddique of non-cooperation in the probe. According to a status report submitted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), the actor allegedly obstructed the investigation by destroying electronic devices and deleting his social media accounts.
Earlier, the Kerala High Court had rejected Siddique's anticipatory bail plea on September 24, citing the seriousness of the accusations and the necessity of custodial interrogation for a thorough investigation.
The case continues to attract significant public and legal attention as investigations progress.
With PTI inputs