Supreme Court grants 5-day bail to journalist to visit ailing mother in Kerala

The Supreme Court Monday granted 5day interim bail to journalist Siddique Kappan arrested on his way to Hathras where a young Dalit woman had died after being allegedly gangraped to visit his ailing motherA bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde however said that during his visit he shall not give any interview to the media including social mediaThe bench also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian said that Kappan will not meet members of the public except his relatives and doctors concernedIt said he will be escorted by a team of Uttar Pradesh police officers and police in Kerala will cooperate with themSenior advocate Kapil Sibal appearing for Kerala Union of Working Journalists KUWJ stated that Kappans mother could not talk on video conference and the doctors have said she might live only for two or three more daysSolicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government said however that the condition of Kappans mother was not as serious as was being projected and no medical certificates are providedThere are posters in Kerala and the wife of Kappan is collecting money in his name as if he is a martyr When he goes to Kerala to visit his mother political opinions would be formed Mehta saidThe bench said it was taking Sibals statements on face value and we will not allow him Kappan to be paraded and he will go to his house under protection of armed guardsOn November 16 last year the top court had sought a response from the Uttar Pradesh government on the plea challenging the arrest of the journalist on his way to HathrasSibal had sought bail for the journalist saying that there was nothing against him in the FIR lodged at Mathura by UP PoliceThe FIR has been filed under various provisions of the IPC and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act UAPA against four people having alleged links with the Popular Front of India or PFIPFI had been accused in the past of funding protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act across the country earlier this yearKappan was arrested on October 5 while he was on his way to Hathras home to the young Dalit woman who died after being gangraped allegedly by four uppercaste menThe KUWJ had filed a habeas corpus petition in the top court against the arrest of the journalist and it also sought his immediate production and release from illegal detentionThe police however had said it has arrested four people having links with the Popular Front of India in Mathura and identified the arrested persons as Siddique from Malappuram Atiqur Rehman from Muzaffarnagar Masood Ahmed from Bahraich and Alam from RampurHours after the arrest the prominent journalist body of Kerala identified Malappuram native Siddique by his full name as Siddique Kappan saying he is a senior Delhibased journalistThe plea stated that the arrest was made in violation of the mandatory guidelines laid down by the apex court and with the sole intention of obstructing the discharge of duty by a journalistThe petition alleged that family members or colleagues have not been informed of his arrestHathras has been in the news following the death of a 19yearold Dalit woman who was allegedly gangraped on September 14 2020 in a village in the districtHer cremation at night by the authorities allegedly without the parents consent has triggered widespread outrageThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever