Wed Oct 23 01:40:11 UTC 2024: **Summary of the News Article:**

– The Supreme Court has extended the interim bail of Malayalam actor Siddique by two weeks in a rape case against him.
– The court’s decision was made as Siddique’s counsel requested additional time to respond to a report from the Kerala Police.
– The police have called for Siddique’s custodial interrogation, claiming there is substantial evidence against him and allege he is not cooperating with the investigation.
– It was noted that Siddique had previously absconded and returned only after the Supreme Court provided interim protection, which raises concerns about his willingness to assist in the investigation.
– Siddique is accused of raping a female actor in 2016 under the pretext of discussing a fictitious film project in Thiruvananthapuram.
– He has labeled the allegations as unfounded and a smear campaign against him.
– The Kerala High Court had indicated that custodial interrogation was necessary for a thorough investigation due to the seriousness of the allegations and evidence presented by the Special Investigation Team.
– Following the allegations, Siddique resigned from his role as the general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) in August.
– The case has come to light in the context of broader allegations from women in the Malayalam film industry concerning their working conditions, coinciding with the Justice Hema committee report release.

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