Mollywood rape scandal: SC extends actor Siddique's interim bail

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended the interim anticipatory bail for Malayalam actor Siddique for another week, in connection with the rape case filed against him. A bench of Justices Bela M. Trivedi and S.C. Sharma decided to grant the extension after Siddique's lawyer, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, requested a delay due to his ill health and sought a further hearing next week.

During the hearing, the Kerala Police informed the apex court that while Siddique had been appearing before the investigation officials, he was not cooperating with the probe and had been giving evasive responses. Rohatgi, however, contested the police’s claims, stating that the authorities had demanded Siddique’s mobile phone and laptop dating back to 2016. Justice Sharma, in response, shared a personal anecdote about upgrading phones, without delving further into the matter.

The Supreme Court had previously extended Siddique's interim anticipatory bail for two weeks after his counsel sought time to file a rejoinder in response to the Kerala Police’s status report. The Kerala Police have alleged that Siddique is misusing his liberty to destroy evidence and is failing to cooperate with the investigation.

The case stems from a complaint filed by an actress who accused Siddique of raping her in 2016 at a state-owned hotel in Thiruvananthapuram. Initially hesitant, the actress later emailed the state police chief, claiming that Siddique assaulted her after she refused his sexual demands in exchange for a role in a Tamil film. Following these revelations, Siddique resigned as the General Secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), prompting the entire Executive Committee, chaired by Mohanlal, to step down.

Siddique denied the allegations, claiming that the actress had been harassing him since 2019, making false claims on social media about a 2016 incident at a theater. After the release of the Justice Hema Committee report on the status of women in the Malayalam film industry, the actress made more serious allegations of rape at a different location in 2016.

Siddique's troubles escalated after the Kerala High Court rejected his anticipatory bail on September 24, leading to his disappearance. He resurfaced after the Supreme Court granted him anticipatory bail on September 30 and directed him to cooperate with the investigation.

In the wake of the Justice Hema Committee report, which exposed widespread issues concerning the treatment of women in the Malayalam film industry, multiple allegations have emerged, leading to the registration of 11 FIRs against prominent figures in the industry.


With IANS inputs