NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has granted anticipatory bail to actor Siddique in connection with a sexual harassment case, with the trial court authorized to determine the specific conditions of the bail. The Court has stayed Siddique's arrest for two weeks while the case is under consideration.

Siddique approached the Supreme Court after his request for anticipatory bail was denied by the High Court. The Supreme Court is set to hear the case again after two weeks. During the proceedings, the Court questioned the state’s inaction over the past eight years regarding the complaint and reprimanded those attempting to intervene in the case, emphasizing that they have no relevance to the matter at hand.

The state government and the actress strongly opposed actor Siddique's request for anticipatory bail, but the court issued a notice on the petition and temporarily stayed his arrest. The court directed Siddique's lawyer to cooperate fully with the investigation.

Siddique, a prominent figure in Malayalam cinema, faced scrutiny regarding the age difference between him and the complainant, which was highlighted by both the survivor's lawyer and the state government's counsel. In response, Siddique’s lawyer, Mukul Rohatgi, argued that the actor would be available for questioning and would not evade the legal process. This assertion was met with counterarguments from the government’s counsel.

This case was taken up as the 62nd matter by the bench of Justices Bela M. Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma. The state government was represented by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhatti. While former Solicitor General Ranjith Kumar was initially expected to appear, the representation shifted to allow a woman lawyer to take part. Senior advocate Vrinda Grover will represent the survivor in the case. Both the survivor and the government filed injunctions. Additionally, Paichira Nawaz and Ajeesh Kalathil have filed injunctions related to the case.