Siddique Kappan, a journalist from Kerala who had been detained by the police in Uttar Pradesh on suspicion of having affiliations to the Popular Front of India (PFI) and facing charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, was granted bail by the Supreme Court on Friday.
He must appear before the trial court within three days, which will grant him bail based on the terms it considers appropriate, according to a ruling by a panel chaired by Chief Justice of India U U Lalit.
The court was shown some of the documents that were on file, according to the bench, which also included Justices S Ravindra Bhat and P S Narasimha. As the issue is still in the charge-drafting stage, the bench stated, “We refrain from dealing with and commenting on the progress of inquiry and the materials obtained by prosecution.”
However, the bench stated that it granted him bail “given the appellant’s duration of imprisonment and the particular facts and circumstances of the case.”
Kappan was ordered by the court to reside in Delhi for the first six weeks following his parole and to report to the neighbourhood police station each Monday. After this time, he will be free to go to Kerala, where he must show up every Monday at the local police station.
Additionally, it demanded that he hand up his passport and refrain from contacting anyone involved in the dispute.
Raihana Siddique, Kappan’s wife, claimed to have filed a bail application in connection with the Enforcement Directorate case brought against him. “I’m hoping Kappan’s ED case bail will be granted shortly as well. In conjunction with the UAPA lawsuit, it was registered. I want to thank everyone who supported my family and me during this legal battle. We are unable to adequately describe the trauma we have experienced over the last two years, she added.
While travelling to Hathras, where a Dalit girl had been raped and killed, Kappan and other others were detained on October 5, 2020, at Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. Kappan said he was going to report on the event, but authorities claimed the journalist’s travel had been paid for by a terrorist organisation seeking to sow discord in society.
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