Supreme Court Seeks UP's Response on Siddique Kappan's Bail Condition Plea

The Supreme Court sought a response from the Uttar Pradesh government regarding journalist Siddique Kappan's plea to relax his bail condition of weekly police reporting in a UAPA case. Kappan, who was jailed for nearly two years, was granted bail in 2022 with several conditions, including residence restrictions and regular police check-ins.

The Supreme Court has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to respond to a plea by Kerala-based journalist Siddique Kappan, seeking relaxation of his weekly police reporting bail condition in a UAPA case.

A bench comprising Justices P S Narasimhan and R Mahadevan requested the state government to file its reply on Kappan's plea. Kappan was arrested in October 2020 on his way to Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, where a Dalit woman had died following a gang-rape.

The Supreme Court granted bail to Kappan on September 9, 2022, with multiple conditions, including staying in Delhi for six weeks post-release and weekly reports to the Nizamuddin police station. Additionally, he is required to attend every trial court session and submit his passport to the investigative authorities.

(With inputs from agencies.)