#MeToo in Malayalam film industry: Kerala HC rejects actor Sidhique’s anticipatory bail plea in rape case

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday denied the anticipatory bail request of Malayalam actor Sidhique in a rape case filed against him following a complaint by an actress. "The application is dismissed," stated Justice C S Dias. However, the court did not provide details regarding the bail rejection. 

Sidhique has been booked under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) and he claimed in his bail plea that the complainant has subjected him to the "prolonged campaign of harassment and false accusations since 2019"

 He further claimed that the actress had repeatedly, for the past five years, made unsubstantiated and false claims of sexual misbehaviour and 'verbal sexual offers' by him in a theatre in 2016. "But now she has raised totally contradictory allegation of more serious crime of rape at a different place in the same year," he had said in his plea. 

All you need to know about Hema Committee report: 

Last month, Sidhique stepped down from his position as the general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) after facing allegations. Several FIRs have been filed against prominent figures in the Malayalam film industry, including directors and actors, following accusations of sexual harassment. These allegations surfaced after the findings of the Justice K Hema Committee report were made public.

The Kerala government formed the committee in response to the 2017 actress assault case, and its report exposed incidents of harassment and exploitation faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. In light of the emerging allegations against various actors and directors, the state government announced on August 25 the creation of a special seven-member investigation team to look into the matter.