New Delhi, Dec 23, 2022: Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan, arrested on terror charges while he was on his way to UP’s Hathras to cover a Dalit woman’s rape and murder two years ago, got bail today in a money laundering case from the High Court.
He had already acquired bail in the terror case — filed under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and other related laws — from the Supreme Court in September this year, but remained behind bars in Lucknow as he’d got no relief so far in the related case filed by the Enforcement Directorate in 2021.
Earlier this month, a court in Lucknow had framed charges against him and six others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which meant the trial could finally begin. The other accused are KA Rauf Sherif, Atikur Rahman, Masud Ahmad, Mohammad Alam, Abdul Razzak and Ashraf Khadir.
Siddique Kappan as well as his lawyers have always denied any involvement in terror acts or financing, and argued that he was traveling to Hathras only with regard to journalistic work.
When the Supreme Court granted him bail in the terror case three months ago, Opposition parties and journalist groups welcomed the order. They further alleged that Mr Kappan was made a “soft target” by UP’s BJP government for being a Muslim.
Mr Kappan and three of the co-accused — Atikur Rehman, Mohammad Alam and Masud Ahmad — were arrested by the UP police in Mathura in October 2020 while they were on the way to Hathras. It took place days after a Dalit woman there died after she was allegedly gang-raped. She was cremated in the middle of the night in her village by the district administration, resulting in huge protests and widespread condemnation of Yogi Adityanath’s BJP government.
