Actor Sidhique questioned again by SIT in rape case
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Malayalam film actor Sidhique was on Saturday questioned again by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in a rape case registered against him.
This is the second time he has been questioned by the SIT in the case lodged on a complaint by a young woman actor.
Sidhique was questioned for close to two hours by the officials at the Cantonment police station here.
He arrived for questioning around 10.40 AM and left close to 12.30 PM.
The actor was questioned for nearly four hours by the SIT earlier this week on Monday.
The rape case was registered against him after a young female actor alleged that Sidhique sexually assaulted her at a hotel in Thiruvananthapuram under the pretext of offering her a role in a film.
The Supreme Court had granted Sidhique interim protection from arrest last week, after the Kerala High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea.
The High Court had cited the seriousness of the accusations and the need for custodial interrogation, while dismissing his bail plea.
Sidhique has been booked under Sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
He claims the complainant has been harassing him with false accusations since 2019.
This case is part of a broader investigation into allegations of sexual harassment against prominent Malayalam film personalities, following the Justice K Hema Committee report on sexual crimes against female actors.
Multiple FIRs have been registered in connection with these allegations.
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Ramdas Athawale backs Fadnavis as Maharashtra CM; says Shinde can shift to Centre
New Delhi, Nov 26: RPI(A) leader Ramdas Athawale, a key BJP ally, on Tuesday called for a quick decision on the next chief minister of Maharashtra and suggested that incumbent Eknath Shinde should shift to the Centre as a Union minister.
Addressing a press conference here, Athawale also backed senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis as the next chief minister of Maharashtra, contending that the saffron party won the maximum number of seats in the 288-member Assembly and should have the right to the top executive post in the state.
He said a peculiar situation has arisen in Maharashtra where BJP leaders want Fadnavis as the chief minister, while Shiv Sena leaders want Shinde to continue in the post, citing the good work he has done over the last two and a half years.
Athawale, the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, said NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has declared that he was not in the race for the chief minister.
"We need to resolve this matter, without any further delay. The election results were announced on November 23 and we should have had the oath of the new chief minister on November 26, the Constitution Day," Athawale said.
Backing Fadnavis for the post of chief minister, Athawale said Shinde can become the deputy chief minister or shift to the Centre and join the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Athawale said his RPI(A) has a presence in every part of the state, but unfortunately lost the two seats -- Dharavi and Kalina -- offered to it in the recent Maharashtra Assembly elections.
He demanded that an RPI member be made an MLC and a minister in the state government.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won a landslide victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections winning 235 seats in the 288-member House. The BJP won 132 seats, followed by Shinde-led Shiv Sena (57) and Ajit Pawar-led NCP (41). Smaller parties, who are part of the alliance, won five seats.
