Lucknow court issues order to release journalist Siddique Kappan from jail

LUCKNOW: A court here on Monday issued the release order of journalist Siddique Kappan, who was lodged in jail after his arrest in October 2020 while he was on his way to Hathras in Uttar Pradesh, where a Dalit woman had died after allegedly being raped.

Kappan, a journalist from Kerala, was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court. He was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Information Technology (IT) Act.

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Anurodh Mishra directed Kappan to furnish two sureties of Rs 1 lakh each and a personal bond of the same amount.

The judge also sought an undertaking from the journalist that he would not breach the conditions imposed on him by the apex court.

Kappan along with three others -- Athikur Rehman, Alam and Masood -- were arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police on October 5, 2020.

The Dalit woman had died at a Delhi hospital a fortnight after she was allegedly gang-raped on September 14, 2020. She was cremated in the middle of the night in her village.