Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan – who was booked by the Uttar Pradesh goverment under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) after being arrested while on his way to cover the Hathras gangrape in 2020 – has been released from jail after he was granted bail.
“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,” the journalist was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. A sessions court in Lucknow signed the release orders for Kappan’s bail case. He was earlier granted bail in the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case by the Allahabad high court.
The release order directed the superintendent to release Kappan if he is not wanted in any other case. On September 9, 2022, the Supreme Court too granted bail to Kappan in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act case. However, he remained in prison due to a pending PMLA case.
