Wed Oct 23 02:56:42 UTC 2024: – The Supreme Court has extended Malayalam actor Siddique’s pre-arrest bail for two weeks in a rape case, questioning the eight-year delay in filing the complaint.
– The case involves allegations from an actor claiming Siddique raped her in 2016 and attempted sexual assault that same year.
– The Court had granted pre-arrest bail to Siddique previously on September 30, contingent on his cooperation with police investigations.
– Justice Bela M Trivedi raised concerns about the long delay in the complaint, while state lawyer Ranjit Kumar and complainant’s lawyer Vrinda Grover defended the survivor’s delayed reporting, stating it took time for her to gather courage.
– Siddique has denied the allegations, claiming the complainant has harassed him since 2019, and he has resigned from his position as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA).
– The case emerged following the Hema Committee report, highlighting sexual harassment issues in the Malayalam film industry, leading to multiple harassment allegations against high-profile figures.

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