Mon Nov 04 06:31:05 UTC 2024: ## Supreme Court Relaxes Bail Condition for Journalist Siddique Kappan
**NEW DELHI, November 4, 2024:** The Supreme Court on Monday relaxed a bail condition imposed on Kerala-based journalist Siddique Kappan, who was arrested in October 2020 while on his way to Hathras, Uttar Pradesh. The court has removed the requirement for Kappan to report to the local police station every week, a condition imposed in its September 2022 order.
Kappan was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) after the death of a Dalit woman in Hathras who was allegedly gangraped. The Uttar Pradesh government had opposed his bail application, labeling him an “agent provocateur” for the “terror gang” Popular Front of India.
Kappan’s lawyers, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal and Advocate Haris Beeran, had argued that the case was “not prosecution but persecution.”
The Supreme Court granted Kappan bail in September 2022 after he had spent nearly two years in custody. The court stated then that “every person has a right to free expression.”
This latest decision by the Supreme Court marks a significant step forward for Kappan, who has consistently maintained his innocence.
First Piper 