The Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ), on behalf of incarcerated journalist Siddique Kappan, moved a contempt petition in the Supreme Court alleging that even after one year of his arrest, the journalist’s counsel was not provided with the charge sheet in the case.
The petition says that this is despite the categorical submissions of the Uttar Pradesh police before the Supreme Court that all those accused in the case were delivered the charge sheet.
Kappan was arrested at Mathura by the Uttar Pradesh Police in October 2020, while on his way to Hathras to report on the gang rape and murder of a Dalit girl, which had triggered nationwide outrage. While being arrested, the journalist was travelling in a Swift Dzire with two others—Masood Ahmad, 28, and Atiq-ur-Rahman, 26. Masood Ahmad is an activist of the Popular Front of India (PFI), and Atiq-ur-Rahman is a member of the Campus Front of India, the students' wing of the PFI. The police arrested the group under the apprehension of causing a “breach of peace”. Subsequently, the UP police charged them with provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and sedition, alleging they were travelling to Hathras to incite communal riots.
The contempt petition says that despite multiple directions from the Supreme Court, the UP police denied proper medical care to Kappan.
“The petitioner is moving the present contempt petition as left with no other alternative remedy as the illegal action of the respondent [UP Police] was willful and deliberate," it reads
