New Delhi: In its submission to the Supreme Court concerning Siddique's bail plea, the Kerala government highlighted several instances of significant delays in filing complaints related to violence against women.

Earlier, the Supreme Court questioned what prevented the complainant from filing a complaint, despite the incident in question happening in 2016. In a report submitted to the apex court, the Kerala government noted that it took 21 years for a sexual harassment case to be registered against former US President Donald Trump.

Earlier, Siddique moved Supreme Court seeking bail in a rape case linked to an incident that happened in 2016. The complainant alleged that Siddique raped her at Mascot Hotel in Thiruvananthapuram on January 28, 2016. The Supreme Court, which granted interim protection from arrest to Siddique, was set to hear the bail plea on Tuesday. It is at this juncture that the state government submitted the investigation officer's report.

In 2017, a complaint was filed against Donald Trump alleging sexual assault for an incident that occurred in 1996. Similarly, in 2018, multiple women came forward with sexual abuse complaints against American film producer Harvey Weinstein, relating to incidents that were over 30 years old. The report from Kerala Government references such examples to illustrate the delays in filing complaints related to violence against women.

The report also notes that the Supreme Court has previously observed that a delay in filing a complaint should not be the sole reason to dismiss a case.