The Kerala High Court has rejected the anticipatory bail petition of Malayalam actor Siddique in a rape case registered against him based on a complaint by a female actor. Following this, a lookout notice has been issued against the actor.
Siddique, who served as the general secretary of A.M.M.A. (The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists) had quit after the allegations surfaced.
The complainant, who initially raised allegations against Siddique in 2019, formally lodged a complaint following the release of the Justice K. Hema Committee Report—which shook Mollywood.
According to the complainant, the alleged incident occurred in 2016 in Thiruvananthapuram after the preview of Siddique’s film 'Sukhamaayirikkatte' at Nila Theatre. She alleged that the actor called her to Mascot Hotel in Thiruvananthapuram under the pretext of discussing a film, where he raped and assaulted her. The FIR was filed at the Museum Police Station in Thiruvananthapuram.
In his petition seeking anticipatory bail, Siddique argued that the complainant is a staunch supporter and member of the Women’s Cinema Collective (WCC), and suggested that the complaint was retaliatory, following his remarks during a press conference on August 23 after Justice Hema Committee Report's release, where he defended AMMA. He further alleged that the WCC had orchestrated a smear campaign against AMMA and that the organisation was trying to tarnish its image.
Siddique also claimed that the complainant had modified her allegations to include rape and altered details in her statements to amplify media impact and ensure his arrest under non-bailable charges.
The state's counsel, however, countered that while there may be minor discrepancies in the statements, the complainant had publicly accused the actor of misconduct as early as 2019. With the court rejecting his anticipatory bail application, the actor now faces a likely arrest by the Kerala Police.