The notice states that Siddique is currently absconding and urges the public to immediately inform the police if they have any information regarding his whereabouts.
Published Sep 26, 2024 | 2:03 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 27, 2024 | 10:08 AM
Lookout notice against Malayalam actor Siddique. (Supplied)
Malayalam actor and former general secretary of AMMA Siddique, who is currently absconding in a rape case, remains at large, while his legal team is making urgent efforts to expedite his anticipatory bail plea in the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, the state police chief has directed that lookout notices be published in newspapers across various states to aid in the search for actor Siddique. Emails have been sent to the DGPs of all states, requesting their cooperation in the matter.
On Wednesday, 25 September, notices with Siddique’s photograph and contact details of the investigation team were distributed for publication in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka newspapers.
Following the orders, the lookout notices were published in the daily newspapers, especially in Kerala. The notice, published in both Malayalam and English newspapers, states that Siddique is currently absconding and urges the public to immediately inform the police if they have any information regarding his whereabouts.
Additionally, police have established special surveillance in Chennai and Bengaluru as part of the search, and intensified measures by deploying search teams at border checkpoints.
The Thiruvananthapuram Museum Police had registered a case against Siddique on 28 August, which includes charges of rape, under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code.
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday, 24 September, rejected Siddique’s anticipatory bail plea after reviewing key evidence presented by the investigation team, raising the possibility of his arrest soon.
The high court while rejecting the bail plea, noted: “Whether the survivor’s above explanation is plausible will have to be ultimately evaluated and decided after a full-fledged trial. Nevertheless, the contention that the above delay vitiates the entire prosecution case is not a ground for scraping the complaint, particularly while considering a bail application. Victims of sexual abuse and assault may experience psychological, emotional and social barriers that feed the delay in reporting the matter, which necessarily has to be understood in the context of the trauma.”
The high court also held that the acts alleged against Siddique would come within the ambit of the expanded definition of “rape”.
Following the high court order, Siddique’s legal team approached the Supreme Court. According to Livelaw, Siddique challenged the high court’s order and filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court at around 7 PM on Wednesday. The State and the victim have filed caveats.
According to media reports, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi will represent Siddique in the Supreme Court.
Siddique’s lawyers plan to email the Mentioning Officer of the Supreme Court on Thursday, 26 September, requesting that the plea be heard on Friday, 27 September.
The Chief Justice will ultimately decide whether to list the case. Anticipatory bail pleas typically receive priority consideration by the Supreme Court.
Senior advocate Vrinda Grover is expected to represent the survivor, while senior advocate Ranjit Kumar may appear on behalf of the state government.
In his anticipatory bail plea submitted to the Supreme Court, Siddique has argued that he is a victim of the ongoing conflict between the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) and the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC).
Siddique claims that the rape accusation, which emerged after 8 years, is groundless, and the complainant’s explanation of staying silent due to fear is not credible. He also emphasized that when the allegation initially surfaced on social media in 2019, it wasn’t labelled as rape.
The complaint, filed by the actress, dates back to 2016 when she alleged that Siddique had sexually exploited her at the Mascot Hotel in Thiruvananthapuram. The two had reportedly attended a movie preview show at the Nila Theatre on the same day.
Police investigations found corroborating evidence, including hotel records from eight years ago, which confirm the actress’s presence at the Mascot Hotel.
While Siddique has maintained that he met the complainant in the presence of her parents, the high court’s decision to reject his bail suggests serious consideration of the evidence supporting the actress’s claims.
Following the filing of the complaint, Siddique resigned from his position as the general secretary of AMMA, the actors’ association.
The Kerala government constituted the Justice Hema Committee after the 2017 actress assault case and its report revealed instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry.
The publication of the Justice K Hema Committee report opened a can of worms with several female actors stepping forward with disturbing accounts of the mistreatment they faced at the hands of their various male counterparts.
The Hema Commission report was made public on 19 August, five years after it was submitted to the Kerala government.
Following this the government appointed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation of women in Malayalam cinema. The SIT is set to take further legal action based on the findings of the Hema Committee report.
Sources reveal that there are over 20 cases involving serious allegations. The complainants in these cases will be contacted, and legal proceedings will be initiated with their consent. Further, the SIT decided that if the individuals provide new statements, the team will move forward with the necessary legal steps.
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula, with inputs from Sreelakshmi Soman)
