The complaint, lodged by a female actor, led to the registration of an FIR by the Thiruvananthapuram police.
Kerala: Today (2nd Sept): Actor Siddique has approached the Kerala High Court seeking anticipatory bail in a rape case filed against him amidst the ongoing “Me Too” movement in the Malayalam film industry.
The case against Siddique was initiated based on allegations by an actress, who claimed that he raped her at the Mascot Hotel in Thiruvananthapuram in 2016. Initially hesitant to report the incident, the actress later emailed the State Police Chief, alleging that Siddique assaulted her after she refused his demands for sexual favors in exchange for a role in a Tamil movie.
The case was registered last week, with the investigation now being handled by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up to probe the sexual abuse cases emerging after the Justice Hema Committee report’s release.
In his petition for anticipatory bail, Siddique contends that the complainant has been harassing him since 2019 by repeatedly accusing him on social media of attempting to sexually misbehave with her at a theatre in 2016. However, she has now escalated the allegation to rape, supposedly occurring at a different location in the same year.
Siddique’s petition argues that the complainant is trying to falsely implicate him, highlighting inconsistencies in her narrative and the delay in filing the complaint. He also asserts that his custodial interrogation is unnecessary for evidence collection.
Siddique is represented by Senior Advocate B Raman Pillai and advocates Philip T Varghese and Sujesh Menon VB.
This legal action follows Siddique’s resignation as the general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), along with the entire 17-member executive committee, after multiple sexual abuse allegations surfaced against prominent industry figures, including director Ranjith and actors Siddique and Mukesh.
In addition to Siddique, actors such as Mukesh, Jayasurya, Edavela Babu, Maniyanpilla Raju, and director Ranjith have been implicated in sexual assault cases.
These allegations against prominent figures in the Malayalam film industry emerged following the release of the Justice Hema Committee report, which exposed disturbing details of crimes against women in the industry.
The Kerala government formed the Hema committee in 2017, led by retired Justice K. Hema, following widespread concerns about the exploitation, harassment, and discrimination faced by female professionals in the industry.
The report, published on August 19 with the names of witnesses and accused redacted, revealed widespread harassment, exploitation, and mistreatment of women professionals. It highlighted that the Malayalam film industry is dominated by a group of about 10 to 15 male producers, directors, and actors who exert significant control over the industry, sparking widespread concern and outrage.
