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.