Thursday, March 28, 2024

669 days in jail; No bail for Siddique Kappan in UAPA case

The Allahabad High Court has rejected the bail plea moved by journalist Siddique Kappan who has been booked under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

Single-judge Justice Krishan Pahal rejected the plea by Kappan against a Sessions Court order denying him bail, according to Bar and Bench.

Kappan, a Delhi based Muslim journalist and secretary of the Delhi unit of Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ), was arrested along with three Muslim men in Uttar Pradesh on 5 October in 2020 while on his way to Hathras to report on the gang-rape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit girl.

A Mathura court had rejected Kappan’s bail plea in July 2021 on the ground that there was prima facie case that Kappan and other co-accused were trying to disturb the law and other situation when they were heading to cover the Hathras caste baded violence in Uttar Pradesh.

Media organisations and human rights groups across the world have demanded Kappan’s release, condemning India’s crackdown on journalists. The majority of the critics of the Hindu nationalist government believe he was “framed” because he is a Muslim.

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