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‘Happy to be out’: Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan after 28 months behind bars
Kappan was booked by the Uttar Pradesh government under the UAPA after being arrested from Mathura toll plaza, along with three others, while on his way to cover the Hathras gangrape in 2020
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Kerala Journalist Siddique Kappan walked out of Lucknow prison on Thursday morning after remaining behind bars for two years.
The sessions court on Wednesday had signed his release orders on bail.
After coming out of jail, Kappan thanked the media for supporting him.
“I have come out of jail after 28 months. I want to thank the media for supporting me. False allegations were put against me. I am happy to be out now”, he told media persons outside the jail premises.
In the release order, the sessions court had directed the superintendent of Lucknow prison to release Kappan if he is not wanted in any other case.
Also Read: Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan set to walk out of jail after 2 years
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on December 23, 2022, had granted bail to Kappan in the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case.
A single bench of justice DK Singh had granted bail to Kappan pointing out that the enforcement directorate’s (ED) investigation lacked ascribing any specific role to Kappan in the case relating to illicit transaction of money to the tune of ₹1.36 crore, allegedly collected by now banned Popular Front of India (PFI) to spread terror in the country.
On September 9, 2022, Supreme Court had granted bail to Kappan in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act case. However, he remained in prison due to a pending PMLA case.
Kappan was booked by the Uttar Pradesh government under the UAPA after being arrested from Mathura toll plaza, along with three others, while on his way to cover the Hathras gangrape in October, 2020.
The police had claimed the accused were active members of the now banned PFI and were trying to disturb law and order in the area.
He was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Information Technology (IT) Act.
He was later booked by the ED in the PMLA case.
