Kerala: Rape accused actor Siddique makes public appearance after evading Kerala police for one week
Actor Siddique, who was absconding for a week after High Court denied him anticipatory bail, met his lawyer in Kochi on Tuesday. He was granted interim bail by Supreme Court on Monday (Oct 30).
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FollowKochi: Actor Siddique, who was evading arrest after the High Court denied him anticipatory bail in a sexual assault case, has finally made public appearance today (Oct 1) . He was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on Monday (Sep 30) and today met with his lawyer Advocate B Raman Pillai at his office in Ernakulam North. The meeting lasted for an hour.
Meanwhile, the police are seeking legal advice on arresting Siddique in the sexual assault case. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is in a quandary after the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Siddique. The team will meet in Thiruvananthapuram today to discuss further action. The police have sought legal advice from the Director General of Prosecutions' office on whether to arrest Siddique within two weeks.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to Siddique for two weeks. The court also directed that he be produced before the court on the same day if arrested and that the magistrate court should consider his bail application. The prosecution had argued in the Supreme Court that Siddique should be taken into custody for questioning. The SIT is of the view that if he is arrested now, it will not be possible to question him properly in custody as they would only be able to record his statement and produce him before the court. The SIT is now considering whether to question and release him and then arrest him after a decision is taken on his anticipatory bail plea.
When the Supreme Court considers Siddique's petition again on October 22, the prosecution can argue that Siddique is not cooperating with the investigation and that he should be taken into custody for questioning. It is in this context that the police have sought legal advice. However, Siddique has been advised by his legal team to appear before the investigating officer in Thiruvananthapuram if he does not receive a notice from the police within two days. This will also allow him to argue in the Supreme Court that he has fully cooperated with the investigation.
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