National desk
19 November
Sandeep Dhand Ludhiana
The Supreme Court today allowed Malayalam actor Siddiqui’s anticipatory bail plea in a rape case. A bench comprising Justices Bela M. Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma directed the actor to surrender his passport and fully cooperate with the investigation.
The complaint in the case was filed in August 2023, eight years after the alleged incident in 2016. Siddiqui had been granted interim relief from arrest on September 30 by the Supreme Court. However, the Kerala High Court had earlier dismissed his bail plea on September 24, citing the seriousness of the charges and the need for custodial interrogation.
The Kerala Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) alleged in its status report that Siddiqui has not been cooperating with the investigation. The police claimed the actor has obstructed the investigation by deleting his social media accounts and destroying electronic evidence.
The Supreme Court noted the delayed filing of the complaint but emphasized the need for Siddiqui’s cooperation in the probe. The actor has been directed to remain available for questioning as required by the investigators. The case remains under investigation, and the Kerala Police is working to collect further evidence.