After evading Kerala police for a week, actor Siddique, accused of rape, makes public appearance. Watch

As Siddique left the lawyer's office, he was surrounded by media trying to get his comments, but he remained silent and wore a broad smile while getting into his car with his son.

Malayalam actor Siddique had been absconding since the High Court denied his anticipatory bail plea on September 24. (Image: Siddique/Facebook)

After a week of playing hide-and-seek during which he kept himself away from the public eye and the Kerala police, Malayalam actor Siddique, who is currently facing rape charges, finally made a public appearance on Tuesday. He was spotted at the office of advocate B Raman Pillai and Associates in Ernakulam North. This came just a day after the Supreme Court granted him interim protection from arrest.

As Siddique left the lawyer’s office, he was surrounded by media trying to get his comments, but he remained silent and wore a broad smile while getting into his car with his son. The actor had been absconding since the High Court denied his anticipatory bail plea on September 24. Meanwhile, a bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma of the apex court issued notices to the Kerala government and the survivor in the case, seeking their responses within two weeks.

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“In the meantime, it is directed that in the event of arrest of the petitioner in connection with Crime No.1192 of 2024 of the Museum police station, Thiruvananthapuram, he shall be released on bail, subject to the conditions that may be imposed by the trial court and subject to his joining the investigation and remaining present before the investigating officer as and when called upon to do so, till the next date of hearing,” the bench said, news agency PTI reported.

After Siddique went missing, the Kerala Police issued a lookout notice featuring his photo, which appeared in various newspapers. He is facing charges under Sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) registered at the Museum Police Station case in Thiruvananthapuram, the notice said.

Watch Siddique making public appearance here:

Following the release of the Justice Hema Committee report, a woman stepped forward with rape allegations against the actor. This had prompted Siddique to resign as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA). Shortly after, the survivor filed a formal complaint with the police. Siddique, however, denied the allegations, labelling them as a “criminal conspiracy” aimed at damaging the reputation of the entire Malayalam film industry.

Despite many others facing similar allegations after the Hema Committee report’s release, Siddique was the only one who did not receive anticipatory bail. He contended before the High Court that the delay in FIR registration was detrimental, but the court ruled that this could not be grounds for dismissing the entire complaint. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court’s recent decision has provided him with some relief for at least two weeks.

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