Malayalam actor Sidhique arrested in rape case, released on bail
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 6: Weeks after the Supreme Court granted protection from arrest to veteran Malayalam actor Sidhique in a rape case, he appeared before the investigating agency on Friday when he was formally arrested and then released on bail.
The actor was formally arrested, his medical examination was carried out and then he was released on bail after he was produced before a court here.
He was granted protection from arrest by the apex court on November 19.
Sidhique had moved the top court after the Kerala High Court on September 24 denied him the relief on the ground that in view of the seriousness of the accusations, his custodial interrogation was inevitable for a proper investigation of the crime.
Sidhique, who was booked for offences under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), has claimed in his plea that the complainant has subjected him to a "prolonged campaign of harassment and false accusations" since 2019.
He had resigned from his post as general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) following the rape allegations against him by a female actor.
Multiple FIRs were registered against many high-profile personalities in the Malayalam film industry following allegations of sexual harassment against various directors and actors in the wake of the revelations made in the Justice (retired) Hema Committee report.
The committee was formed by the Kerala government after a 2017 actress assault case and it revealed instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry.
Following the allegations of sexual harassment and exploitation against several actors and directors, the state government announced the establishment of a seven-member Special Investigation Team to probe the charges on August 25.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Supreme Court takes suo motu notice of news over dog bite leading to rabies
New Delhi(PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday took suo motu cognisance of a media report of dog bite incident leading to rabies, saying it contained some "alarming and disturbing figures".
A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan termed the news item published today in Delhi edition of English daily Times of India as "very disturbing and alarming".
The news report was about the death of a six-year-old girl, who was attacked by a rabid stray dog, in the national capital.
Taking cognisance of the news report, the bench said, "The news item contains some alarming and disturbing figures and facts."
It said every day, hundreds of dog bites were being reported in the city and on its outskirts, leading to rabies and ultimately, children and aged were falling prey to the dreadful disease.
"We take suo motu cognisance of this news item," the bench ordered.
It asked the apex court registry to register it as a suo motu petition in public interest.
"Let this order be placed along with the news report before the Chief Justice of India for appropriate orders," the bench said.
On July 15, while hearing a separate plea alleging harassment over feeding of community dogs in Noida, the apex court had asked the petitioner, "Why don't you feed them in your own house?"
The top court told the petitioner's counsel, "We should leave every lane, every road open for these large hearted people? There is all space for these animals, no space for humans. Why don't you feed them in your own house? Nobody is stopping you."
The observations came in a plea arising out of a March 2025 order of the Allahabad High Court.
The petitioner claimed harassment and said she was unable to feed community dogs in line with the Animal Birth Control Rules.
_vb_57.jpeg)