The Supreme Court has eased a bail condition for journalist Siddique Kappan, removing the requirement for him to report every week to a police station in Uttar Pradesh. Kappan, who was arrested in October 2020 while heading to Hathras, sought this change, saying the weekly check-in was challenging as he now lives in Kerala.
A bench led by Justices PS Narasimha and Sandeep Mehta said, “We are of the opinion that the condition…is to be modified. It shall not be necessary for the petitioner to report to the local police station.”
Kappan’s lawyer explained that the initial bail order required Kappan to report to a police station in Uttar Pradesh, which he argued was difficult now that he resides in Kerala. The Uttar Pradesh government’s lawyer, Ruchira Goel, stated, “The state is not concerned with the application as Kappan is currently staying in Kerala.”
The court also reviewed Kappan’s request to retrieve his passport, seized during his arrest. Goel responded, saying, “We had seized some booklets and incriminating pamphlets from his Delhi residence. We do not have his passport.” The Supreme Court noted that Kappan could pursue the passport matter independently.
Kappan was detained in 2020 on charges of conspiracy and terror funding under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). At the time, he was working with the Malayalam news portal Azhimukhum and insisted that he was on a journalistic assignment to cover the Hathras incident, where a Dalit woman had been allegedly gang-raped and killed. Kappan has maintained his innocence, denying any links with banned groups.
Upon granting him bail in 2022, the Supreme Court questioned the strength of the evidence against Kappan but required him to follow strict conditions, including passport surrender and limitations on interactions.
