Malayalam cinema actor Siddique has escalated his legal battle to the Supreme Court following the Kerala High Court’s denial of his anticipatory bail in a rape allegation. The apex court registered his plea on Wednesday, a day after the High Court’s decision, which cited the serious nature of the charges against him as necessitating custodial interrogation for a thorough investigation.
The case stems from accusations made by an actress who claimed that Siddique raped her in 2016 at the Mascot Hotel, Thiruvananthapuram. The Kerala High Court, while dismissing Siddique’s anticipatory bail application, noted the evidence presented could indicate his involvement in the crime. In response to the mounting allegations, Siddique resigned from his role as the general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) and stepped down from its 17-member executive committee.
This legal turmoil comes in the wake of the 2017 actress assault case that shed light on the alleged exploitation prevalent within the Malayalam film industry. The Justice Hema Committee, formed as a response to these revelations, has spurred a series of FIRs targeting several notable figures in Malayalam cinema, including Jayasurya, Edavela Babu, and Maniyanpilla Raju, for related sexual assault offenses.
