New Delhi: Kerala journalist Siddiqui Kappan was on Thursday denied bail by the Allahabad High Court on the ground that he had “no work in Hathras”. The journalist was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police along with three others while on their way to Hathras on 5 October 2020.
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court consisted of Justice Krishna Pahal. The UP police accused Kappan and others of invoking several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Anti-Terrorist Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA for creating communal disharmony. The journalist from Kerala is also accused of being associated with the Popular Front of India (PFI) and carrying out illegal activities for the Islamic group.
The judgment said, “The defense taken by the applicant that he is a journalist and only because of his professional duty, he wanted to visit the place of incident at Hathras, arrest him by the statements made in the charge-sheet and the persons”. was taken, he was arrested. Together, while traveling in the car. The tainted money being used by the applicant and his associates cannot be ruled out.
Earlier, a court in Mathura had also rejected Kappan’s bail plea.
Siddiqui Kappan is a reporter for Malayalam news portal azimukham and Secretary of the Delhi Unit of Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ).
Read the full text of the verdict here: