On Tuesday, the Kerala High Court denied Malayalam actor Siddique’s anticipatory bail request in a rape case. The court highlighted the presence of prima facie evidence suggesting Siddique’s involvement in the crime and deemed his custody necessary for the investigation. Since the bail rejection, Siddique has absconded, and the Kerala Police are actively searching for him.
The young actor-victim had alleged that Siddique called her to a hotel and sexually assaulted her. However, Siddique has denied the allegations. He has resigned from the post of general secretary of the Association of the Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) – the largest association of artists in Malayalam cinema.
An FIR was filed against Mukesh under Section 376 (rape) of the IPC following the woman’s allegation. The actor claimed the charges were levelled because the complainant refused to succumb to his blackmail attempts. The victim had spoken about the alleged assault in 2019 as well. But in the wake of the Hema Committee report, which triggered a new Me Too wave in the Malayalam film industry, the victim approached the police and lodged a complaint.
Two cases were registered against Mukesh by the Vadakkancherry and Maradu police. The Ernakulam District and Sessions Court had granted bail to Mukesh on September 5 in the rape case filed against him by the female actor. The FIR was filed against Mukesh under Section 376 (rape) of the IPC following the woman’s allegation. The actor claimed that the allegations were made due to his refusal to succumb to the complainant’s attempts to blackmail him.
Court said – not a fit case for bail
Justice C.S. Dias said, that since Siddique had completely denied his involvement in the incident, his ‘potency test’ is yet to be conducted. Also, there is a possibility that he may threaten witnesses and tamper with evidence. Hence, this case is not fit for granting bail.
What is a potency test?
A potency test is done to determine a person’s sexual potency and fertility. This test is usually done when someone is accused of a sexual crime. So that it can be seen whether that person was able to have sexual intercourse or not.
