New Delhi, Nov 12: The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended for a week the interim anticipatory bail to Malayalam actor Siddique, who faces alleged charges of raping an actress. A Bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and SC Sharma decided to extend the interim relief after senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who appeared on Siddique’s behalf, requested to post the matter for hearing next week citing his own ill-health. In the course of hearing, Kerala Police apprised the apex court that though Siddique was appearing before the Investigating Officials, he did not cooperate with the ongoing probe and tendered evasive responses.
On the other hand, Mukul Rohatgi said that Kerala Police asked the Malayalam actor to provide his mobile and laptop from 2016. At this, Justice Sharma remarked, “As per my personal experience, I bought an iPhone and gave the old one to the shop.” Without entering into the contentions raised, the apex court decided to adjourn the matter on Mukul Rohatgi’s request and in the meantime, extended the interim relief for a week.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had extended the interim anticipatory bail for two weeks after Siddique’s counsel sought time to file rejoinder arguments to the status report filed by the Kerala Police. The Kerala Police has repeatedly said that Siddique was misusing his liberty to destroy evidence and failed to cooperate with the ongoing probe. In an order passed on September 30, the Supreme Court issued notice on Siddique's plea for anticipa.