A case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate against Kerala-based journalist Siddique Kappan will remain pending as the court recently granted his bail, officials of the prison department confirmed.
In October 2020, Kappan was arrested while he was on his way to Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, where he allegedly raped a Dalit woman who died. He was lodged in jail but was released on Monday.
Santosh Verma, DG Jail PRO, told PTI that Kappan will stay in jail while an investigation by the Enforcement Directorate continues.
The Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Anurodh Mishra ordered Kappan to furnish two sureties of Rs 1 lakh each plus the same amount as a personal bond.
In addition, the judge asked the journalist to give an undertaking that he wouldn’t violate the court’s conditions.
Athikur Rehman, Alam, and Masood were also arrested. They were allegedly involved in a conspiracy to instigate violence in Mathura and have links to the Popular Front of India.
A number of sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Information Technology (IT) Act were cited against him.
Kappan was granted bail on Friday by the Supreme Court of India.
Several conditions for bail were also imposed on him by the court based on the submissions of the Uttar Pradesh government, including the requirement that he must remain in Delhi for the next six weeks after his release from prison and report to Nizamuddin police station every Monday.
An order granting bail to Kappan was welcomed by opposition parties and journalist organizations.
Moreover, they hoped Kappan would also be granted bail in another case filed against him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, arguing Kappan had been made a “soft target” by the Uttar Pradesh government.
Approximately a fortnight after she was allegedly gang-raped on September 14, 2020, the Dalit woman died in a Delhi hospital. The cremation took place in her village in the middle of the night.
