Journalist Siddique Kappan Likely To Walk Out Of Prison After Over 2 Years Of Jail Time

Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan is likely to walk out of jail on Wednesday evening after Lucknow sessions court signed the release order.

Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan is likely to walk out of jail on Wednesday evening after Lucknow sessions court signed the release order.

Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan is likely to walk out of jail on Thursday after Lucknow sessions court signed the release order on Wednesday. The Allahabad High Court had granted bail to the journalist a month ago but he continued to remain in jail.

The order for his release comes over two years after his arrest by the Uttar Pradesh Police, reported Live Law. Kappan was going to the house of the Hathras gangrape victim at the time of his arrest.

#BREAKING: The Sessions Judge, Lucknow on Wednesday has ordered to release journalist Siddique Kappan on bail. ⁦@geetaseshu⁩
He was languishing in jail since December 21, 2021 after being charged under UAPA and later in PMLA case. #siddiquekappan #PMLA #UAPA pic.twitter.com/vgvCL94t0s

— Teesta Setalvad (@TeestaSetalvad) February 1, 2023

Kappan's lawyer Mohamed Dhanish K S was quoted as saying by PTI, "Sureties were presented in the court today. Court part is complete now. Release order sent to jail". Dhanish said the release is expected on Thursday.

Kappan's bail order was issued by the Allahabad HC on December 24 last year. Kappan's lawyer contested the police's claim that he was going to disrupt peace in Hathras. They said Kappan was only going to report on the incident.

The police also slapped him with sections under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and accused him of having links with the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI).

The jailed journalist had petitioned the High Court after being denied bail in the PMLA case by a Lucknow sessions court on October 31, 2022. This decision caused the journalist to stay behind bars despite being granted bail in the UAPA case by the Supreme Court (SC) in September 2022.

In the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) case, the Supreme Court on September 9 granted bail to Kappan, declaring that "every citizen has the right to free expression."

Kappan, a native of Kerala, served as a reporter for the Malayalam news website Azhimukham and served as secretary of the Delhi Chapter of the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ).

(With Inputs From Agencies)