The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan, a decision that came after he had spent nearly two years in prison after he was booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), among other sections, by the Uttar Pradesh government, Bar and Bench reported.

The Kerala-based journalist, working with Malayalam news portal Azhimukham, was arrested along with three others in October 2020 by the Uttar Pradesh police when he was on his way to Hathras to report on the alleged gang-rape and subsequent murder of a 19-year-old Dalit woman.

Also Read: ‘There is no confusion’: Rahul Gandhi’s cryptic update on whether he will run for Congress President

All accused were charged under Sections 17 and 18 of the UAPA, and IPC Sections 124A (sedition), Section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion) and Section 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) besides Sections 65, 72 and 75 of the Information Technology Act.

In its order, a bench led by Chief Justice of India UU Lalit, and also comprising Justices S Ravindra Bhat and PS Narasimha barred Kappan from leaving Delhi for six weeks and report to the Jangpura police station every Monday. At the end of his six weeks, the journalist can go back to Kerala and mark his attendance at a local police station every Monday.

The court further mandated that Kappan or his lawyer must attend all trial court hearings, and he must also surrender his passport. The journalist was also allowed to apply for bail in the proceedings initiated against him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.

“Every person has a right to free expression. He is trying to show that (Hathras) victim needs justice and raise a common voice. Will this be a crime in eyes of law?” the bench asked, according to Bar and Bench.

The secretary of the Delhi unit of Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) was represented by senior advocate and former Congress leader Kapil Sibal and Haris Beeran.

On August 2, the scribe had moved Supreme Court challenging the order of the Allahabad High Court that denied him bail. In July 2021, a Mathura court had rejected Kappan’s bail plea on grounds that prima facie, it appeared that Kappan and the other accused were trying to create a law and order situation. He had then approached the High Court.

Also Read: When Queen Elizabeth referred to Jallianwala Bagh massacre as a ‘distressing example’ of colonial past

The Uttar Pradesh government had alleged that Kappan and the co-accused were travelling to Hathras to foment trouble and disturb harmony in the area. Further, it was alleged that the accused were collecting funds to run a website that was filled with misinformation and wanted to incite violence.

Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for the state of Uttar Pradesh, said that Kappan was part of a conspiracy by the Popular Front of India (PFI) to incite riots, and that there was an attempt to use the Hathras incident as a tool to create unrest.