Actor Sidhique arrested in rape case, released on bail

Thiruvananthapuram: Weeks after the Supreme Court granted protection from arrest to veteran Malayalam actor Sidhique in a rape case, he appeared before the investigating agency on Friday when he was formally arrested and then released on bail.

The actor was formally arrested, his medical examination was carried out and then he was released on bail after he was produced before a court here.

He was granted protection from arrest by the apex court on November 19.

Sidhique had moved the top court after the Kerala High Court on September 24 denied him the relief on the ground that in view of the seriousness of the accusations, his custodial interrogation was inevitable for a proper investigation of the crime.

Sidhique, who was booked for offences under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), has claimed in his plea that the complainant has subjected him to a "prolonged campaign of harassment and false accusations" since 2019.

He had resigned from his post as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) following the rape allegations against him by a female actor.

Multiple FIRs were registered against many high-profile personalities in the Malayalam film industry following allegations of sexual harassment against various directors and actors in the wake of the revelations made in the Justice (retired) Hema Committee report.

The committee was formed by the Kerala government after a 2017 actress assault case and it revealed instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry.

Following the allegations of sexual harassment and exploitation against several actors and directors, the state government announced the establishment of a seven-member Special Investigation Team to probe the charges on August 25.