'No need to report to UP police station': SC relaxes Siddique Kappan's bail condition

New Delhi/Malappuram: The Supreme Court on Monday eased the bail conditions for journalist Siddique Kappan in a UAPA case, stating he is no longer required to report weekly to a police station in Uttar Pradesh. A bench of Justices P S Narasimhan and Sandeep Mehta modified the conditions set during Kappan's bail in September 2022.

"The order from September 9, 2022, is revised, and the petitioner is no longer obligated to report to the local police station. The other requests made in this application can be addressed separately," the bench stated.

Kappan was arrested in October 2020 while travelling to Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, where a Dalit woman had died after being sexually assaulted by a group of men. When granting bail to Kappan, the court had mandated that he report to the relevant police station each week.

On September 17, the Supreme Court instructed the state government to respond to Kappan's plea. After nearly two years in custody, the court emphasised the right to free expression for every individual.

Following his release, Kappan faced multiple bail conditions, including a requirement to remain in Delhi for six weeks and to report to the Nizamuddin police station every Monday, PTI reported.

"The appellant should be brought to the trial court within three days and shall be released on bail under conditions determined by the trial court," the bench had stated.

However, the court permitted him to travel to Malappuram in Kerala after six months, insisting that he still report to the local police station every Monday.

Kappan was instructed not to leave Delhi without court permission and was required to attend the trial court daily, either in person or through his lawyer. "The appellant must surrender his passport to the investigative authorities," the Supreme Court added.

The case against Kappan and three others involves various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, with allegations of connections to the Popular Front of India (PFI).

The PFI has previously been accused of financing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act nationwide, with police alleging that the accused sought to disrupt law and order in Hathras.

The woman in question died at a Delhi hospital two weeks after her alleged rape by four men from her village on September 14, 2020.

Her cremation took place at night in her village, but her family claimed they were not allowed to bring her remains home for a final farewell and that the last rites were conducted without their consent.