Malayalam film actor Siddique on September 25 moved the Supreme Court challenging the Kerala high court order denying him pre-arrest bail in the case of sexually assaulting a young actress at a Thiruvananthapuram hotel in 2016. On its part, the Kerala state filed a caveat in the apex court aganst the actor’s petition, requesting that no decision be taken without hearing its arguments. The complainant in the case has also submitted a petition in the Supreme Court against Siddique.
Meanwhile, the Kerala police continued their search for the actor on September 25. They were unable to trace him.
The Kerala high court on September 24 rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Siddique, saying that his custodial interrogation was necessary for proper investigation of the crime. It added that since Siddique’s defence was “a total denial of the incident”, his potency test was yet to be conducted. It also said that since there was a “reasonable apprehension” that he may intimidate witnesses and tamper with evidence, it was not a fit case to grant him bail.
The high court, however, made it clear that the observations made by it in the order shall not be construed as an expression of the merits of the case.