SC eases bail condition for journalist Siddique Kappan, weekly reporting in UP no longer required

Siddique Kappan/ PTI

The Supreme Court on Monday lifted a bail condition for Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan, removing the necessity for him to appear at a police station in Uttar Pradesh once a week in connection with a UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) case, reported PTI.

According to the report, the ruling was made by a bench of Justices PS Narasimhan and Sandeep Mehta, and it altered the condition set at Kappan's bail hearing in September 2022. "The order dated September 9, 2022, is modified, and it shall not be necessary for the petitioner to report to the local police station," noted the bench, noting that Kappan's other demands might be followed independently.

Kappan was first arrested in October 2020 while on his way to Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, where a Dalit woman had died after reportedly being sexually raped. When Kappan was granted bail after nearly two years in prison, the court ordered him to return to the relevant police station every week, citing concerns for national security and potential links to the Popular Front of India (PFI), which had previously been accused of inciting protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, the report further stated.

Reportedly, Kappan was released with various bail conditions, including a six-week stay in Delhi and a weekly report to the Nizamuddin police station. Following this period, he was allowed to return to his native district of Malappuram, Kerala, but was required to report to the local police station on Mondays. He was also barred from leaving Delhi without court permission and was compelled to appear in trial court every day, either in person or through a lawyer. He also had to surrender his passport to the investigating authorities.

Kappan and three others were charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and UAPA for allegedly associating with the PFI and attempting to disrupt law and order in Hathras, the PTI report further stated.

The Hathras case, which involves the alleged rape of a young woman on September 14, 2020, garnered national attention, especially after she died from her injuries two weeks later in a Delhi hospital. Her nighttime cremation in her community allegedly carried out without her family's permission, provoked significant indignation. The family claimed they were denied the opportunity to carry her remains home for a final farewell, prompting accusations of mistreatment by local officials.