The Supreme Court has granted interim protection from arrest to actor Siddique in a rape case lodged against him by an actress. A bench comprising Justices Bela M. Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma issued a notice on Siddique's plea, challenging the Kerala High Court's September 24 order that dismissed his bail application.

The allegations against Siddique emerged following the release of the Justice Hema Committee Report on sexual harassment and gender inequality in Malayalam cinema. The complainant, a young actress, raised the allegations through the media after the report's publication. Consequently, Siddique was compelled to resign as General Secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA).

Following this, the actress filed a complaint with the Thiruvananthapuram City Police, resulting in an FIR being registered under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. The alleged incident took place in 2016 at a hotel in Thiruvananthapuram.

The police reportedly collected various pieces of evidence from hotel records that, prima facie, supported the woman’s allegations. Siddique has denied the charges, characterizing them as a conspiracy aimed at damaging the reputation of the Malayalam film industry.

After the release of the Hema Committee report, several women filed sexual harassment or rape cases against various professionals in the film industry, with all but Siddique receiving anticipatory bail. In his appeal to the Kerala High Court, Siddique argued that the delay in registering the FIR was detrimental to the case; however, the court ruled that this delay could not invalidate the entire complaint.

The High Court stated, “Whatever the survivor’s explanation is plausible will have to be ultimately evaluated and decided after a full-fledged trial. Nevertheless, the contention that the delay vitiates the entire prosecution case is not a ground for dismissing the complaint, particularly in the context of a bail application. Victims of sexual abuse may face psychological, emotional, and social barriers that contribute to delays in reporting, which must be understood in the context of their trauma.”