SC grants anticipatory bail to actor Siddique, flags 8-year delay in filing FIR

The Supreme Court has granted anticipatory bail to veteran Malayalam actor Siddique in connection with an alleged rape case dating back to 2016. The complaint, filed by a female actor, followed the release of the Justice Hema Commission report, which detailed systemic sexual harassment and discrimination faced by women in the Malayalam film industry.
In its decision, the Supreme Court bench highlighted the eight year delay in filing the First Information Report (FIR) as a key reason for granting bail. A bench comprising Justice Bela Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma made the interim anticipatory bail, granted on September 30, absolute.
The bench, comprising Justices Bela M. Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma, remarked: “We deem it appropriate not to assign elaborate reasons, particularly considering the sensitivity of the case. However, considering the fact that the complainant had filed the complaint almost eight years after the alleged incident which had taken place in 2016 and the complainant had also posted the posts on Facebook somewhere in 2018 making allegations about 14 people including the appellant with regard to the alleged sexual abuse and also the fact that she had not gone to the Hema Committee, which was set up by the Government of Kerala, we are inclined to accept the present appeal,” as quoted by LiveLaw.
Justice Trivedi pointedly questioned the complainant’s actions, stating: “You (the female complainant) had the courage to post the complaint on Facebook but not to go to the police?”
The Supreme Court has mandated that Siddique must deposit his passport with the trial court as part of the bail conditions. The actor is also required to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation. The trial court has been given the discretion to impose additional conditions to ensure compliance with the investigation process.
The Supreme Court’s decision follows an interim bail granted to Siddique on September 30, which was extended on October 22 to provide time for further legal procedures.
Senior Advocate V. Giri, representing Siddique, informed the bench that Siddique had appeared before the investigating officer after the interim order was issued.
The bench extended the protection for two more weeks to allow Siddique time to respond to the Kerala Police’s status report, which opposed his bail request.
In its status report, the Kerala Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) accused Siddique of obstructing the investigation. The report stated that the actor had destroyed electronic evidence and deactivated his social media accounts, actions viewed as efforts to impede the investigation.
The Kerala High Court previously denied Siddique’s anticipatory bail, citing the seriousness of the accusations and the necessity of custodial interrogation to conduct a thorough probe.
The origins of the complaint trace back to the Justice Hema Commission report, which exposed the widespread exploitation faced by female actors in Malayalam cinema. 
The complainant alleged that Malayalam actor Siddique sexually assaulted her in 2016 after inviting her to meet at a hotel under the pretext of discussing film opportunities. Her public accusations led to an FIR being lodged under Sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code in 2024.