Court eases weekly reporting bail condition for Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan

In a relief for Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan, the Supreme Court on Monday eased a bail condition requiring him to report to a police station in Uttar Pradesh every week. Kappan was arrested in October 2020 while travelling to Hathras to report on the rape and death of a Dalit girl and was charged with terrorism-related offences, among others.
Kappan had petitioned the court for modifications to his bail conditions, initially set when he was granted bail in September 2022.
Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Sandeep Mehta amended the previous order. The bench allowed Kappan to remain in Delhi for six weeks before returning to his hometown of Mallapuram in Kerala, without needing to report to a local police station every Monday as previously mandated.
During the hearing, a representative for the Kerala government clarified that the state had no role in enforcing the police reporting requirement. The counsel also noted that the state did not have possession of Kappan’s passport.
It was also confirmed that four documents seized from Kappan’s Delhi residence remain part of the case evidence.
The court granted Kappan the option to address additional conditions separately in the future.
Kappan was arrested on October 5, 2020. The Uttar Pradesh Police detained him under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and charged him in connection with an alleged conspiracy to disrupt the law and order in Hathras following the Dalit girl’s death. He was also accused of having links with the banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI).