New Delhi, Kerala journalist Siddiq Kappan, who was arrested for reporting on the Hathras rape case in Uttar Pradesh, has got bail from the Supreme Court. After spending nearly two years in jail, he got conditional bail from the Supreme Court. A bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhatt and PS Narasimha along with Chief Justice UU Lalit decided to grant Kappan bail. Chief Justice UU Lalita had recently granted bail to social activist Teesta Setalvad, rejecting the Gujarat government’s appeal.
The Uttar Pradesh government had opposed Kappan’s bail. The UP government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court saying that Kappan has close links with the extremist organization Popular Front of India (PFI), which has an anti-national agenda. The government says that Siddiq Kappan is part of a larger conspiracy to spread religious discord and terror in the country. It was also said that Kappan is a major part of a conspiracy to spread religious frenzy over the CAA and NRC and the Supreme Court’s decision on the Babri dispute and the Hathras incident.
However, on August 29, the Supreme Court had issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government on the bail plea of Kerala-based journalist Siddiq Kappan, seeking its response by September 5. The state government had accepted the notice. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Kappan, had said that there is an allegation of depositing only Rs 45,000 in the bank. PFI is not a banned or terrorist organization.
Sibal had said that Kappan has been in jail since October 2020. He is a journalist and was going to cover the Hathras incident. Significantly, Siddiq Kappan had filed a bail petition in the Supreme Court. The Allahabad High Court’s decision was challenged. On August 3, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court did not grant relief to Siddiqui Kappan. He was sent to jail after a case of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, UAPA was registered against Kappan. Kappan is lodged in Mathura District Jail.
