The Supreme Court on Monday granted interim protection from arrest to Malayalam actor Siddique in a rape case lodged against him by an actress.

A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma issued notice on his plea challenging the September 24 order of the Kerala High Court dismissing his anticipatory bail plea. The top court stated that the interim relief is for two weeks and is subjected to conditions set by the trial court and his cooperation with the investigation.

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Actor Siddique has filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court after the Kerala High Court dismissed his plea for anticipatory bail. Senior lawyer Mukul Rohtagi appeared before the apex court for Siddique.

During the hearing, Rohtagi argued that the survivor filed a complaint against the actor eight years after the crime. Senior advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing for the victim, opposed the anticipatory bail plea. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the state of Kerala, also opposed the grant of anticipatory bail.

“There are some cases when there is no sunlight or sanitation. He has acted in 365 Malayalam movies. It is not possible (for victims) to talk about such perpetrators. The SIT of senior officers was constituted,” Bhati said.

The Kerala High Court on September 24 dismissed the anticipatory bail application filed by Malayalam actor Siddique in a case relating to sexual assault of an actress. Siddique has been charged with offences under Sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on a complaint by the actress.

Dismissing the anticipatory bail plea moved by Siddique, the single bench of Justice CS Dias said the complaint of the actress is serious and there is prima facie evidence of the actor’s involvement in the case.