The long-delayed release of the explosive Justice Hema Committee report, which revealed how women artistes were sexually exploited in the Malayalam film industry, has unleashed a flood of complaints against top actors, sending them approaching courts for anticipatory bail. On Monday, it was Siddique, the former General Secretary of the AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes) who moved the Kerala High Court seeking anticipatory bail in a rape case filed against him by an actress.

Siddique, in his plea, said that the complainant has been harassing him since 2019 by making repeated claims on social media that he tried to sexually misbehave with her at a theatre in 2016. "It is clear that the defacto complainant is made aware that simple allegation of attempted sexual assault is a bailable offence, and therefore, the petitioner could not be taken into custody and it is in order to make out a case warranting arrest and detention of the petitioner that the defacto complainant has now come up with an allegation of rape," his plea read.