Shashwati Chowdhury
Published on: August 3, 2022 at 19:38 IST
In a bail application filed by journalist Siddique Kappan, who has been booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict [Sidhique Kappan v. State Of UP].
Before Justice Krishna Pahal, Senior Advocate IB Singh presented arguments on behalf of Kappan with assistance from Advocate Ishan Baghel.
While travelling to Hathras to cover the gang-rape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit girl, Kappan, a reporter for the Malayalam news site Azhimukham and secretary of the Delhi unit of the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ), was arrested in Uttar Pradesh in October 2020 along with three other individuals.
They were all accused of violating the Indian Penal Code’s Sections 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), Sections 65, 72, and 75 of the Information Technology Act, Sections 124A (sedition), Section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on the basis of religion), and Sections 17 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
In July 2021, a Mathura court rejected Kappan’s plea for bail on the grounds that there was prima facie a case that he and his co-accused were trying to disrupt the law and other situation as they travelled to cover the Hathras gang rape crime in Uttar Pradesh.
Later, in August 2021, the Sessions court had also dismissed an application moved by UP Police to conduct further probe against journalist.