Siddiqui Kappan is a reporter for Malayalam news portal Azimukham. (file)
Lucknow:
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Thursday rejected the bail plea of journalist Siddiqui Kappan, who was booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act in the Hathras conspiracy case. A single bench of Justice Krishna Pahal passed the rejection order on Thursday.
Earlier, on August 2, the bench had reserved its order after completing the arguments of the accused and the state’s lawyers.
Siddiqui Kappan’s bail plea was rejected by a Mathura court, after which he approached the High Court.
Siddiqui Kappan, a reporter for Malayalam news portal Azimukham and secretary of the Delhi unit of Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ), was arrested along with three others in Uttar Pradesh in October 2020 when he was on his way to Hathras to report on the gang. Were – Rape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit woman.
The police had claimed that the accused were trying to disturb law and order in Hathras. He had also alleged that the accused had links with the Popular Front of India (PFI).
The woman died in a Delhi hospital on September 14, 2020, a fortnight after she was allegedly raped by four men from her village. His last rites were performed at midnight in his village.
His family members claimed that the last rites, which took place after midnight, were without their consent and they were not allowed to bring the body home for the last time.
Siddiqui Kappan and others under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Section 124A (sedition), Section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion) and Section 295A (intentional and malicious acts intended to The charges were framed under sections 17 and 18 of the Act. Section 65, 72 and 75 of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act for hurting religious sentiments).
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)