While coming out of the court, Siddique Kappan briefly addressed the media. He said, “I want justice. I still have faith in the constitution.”
Mathura| A Mathura Court on Wednesday dropped three charges, including breach of peace, levelled on Kerala Journalist Siddique Kappan. However, this may not necessarily bring any relief to the jailed scribe as the offences dropped are bailable. All non-bailable offences levelled against him including draconian UAPA and Sedition remain. The court decided to drop these charges against Siddique Kappan following the failure of the police to complete an inquiry into the matter within 6 months.
Kappan, a Kerala-based journalist and three others, were travelling to Hathras where a Dalit girl was gang-raped and murdered in October last year. However, they were detained en route and the police arrested them under the Breach of Peace charges. Later on, charges such as UAPA and Sedition were added against them. The police claimed that Kappan was a part of the banned Popular Front of India. However, his family, colleagues and local media bodies have repeatedly rejected the allegations. Kappan has maintained that he was travelling to Hathras only to report on the case.
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‘I still believe in our constitution but this is justice delayed. This is fake case, completely fake case’
Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan after Mathura court dropped bailable offences against him. #siddiquekappan pic.twitter.com/3c957h4iBs— Kitty Behal (@kittybehal10) June 16, 2021
The police had also claimed that he was travelling to Hathras with a “very determined design to create caste divide and disturb the law and order situation.”
The three bailable offences dropped include:
- Section 151 (offence of knowingly joining or continuing in assembly of five or more persons, likely to cause a disturbance of the public peace, after it has been commanded to disperse);
- Section 107 (abetment of an offence);
- Section 116 (abetment of an offence punishable with imprisonment).
“Still Have Faith In The Constitution”
While coming out of the court, Siddique Kappan briefly addressed the media. He said, “I want justice. I still have faith in the constitution.” “But this is a fake case. Justice delayed, justice delayed,” he said as he was whisked by the police to the van.
Kappan and the co-accused are in jail since October 7 last year in another case under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between groups…), 295A (outraging religious feelings), 124A (sedition), 120B (conspiracy) of IPC, 17/18 of UAPA (raising funds for the terrorist act) and under the IT Act.
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