UAPA a political tool to oppress: Siddique Kappan after release from jail on bail

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act is being used as a political tool at the hands of the government, Kerala-based journalist Siddique Kappan said on Thursday as he was released on bail from prison 28 months after he was arrested in the wake of the Hathras rape and murder incident under the stringent law for allegedly triggering communal tensions and stoking riots.

As he exuded a sense of vindication citing the bail orders of both the Supreme Court and the Allahabad High Court, Kappan reiterated his plea of innocence while stating he will continue to work as a journalist. He also said he was subjected to a hard time when he was lodged in the Mathura jail.

Kappan was arrested in October 2020 near Mathura while he was on his way to Hathras to report on the rape and murder incident of a Dalit which had caused widespread outrage. Besides being booked under UAPA and sedition charges, Kappan was accused of acting at the behest of the now banned group Popular Front of India (PFI).


In September last year, the Supreme Court had granted him bail in the UAPA case, upholding his right to free expression. However, Kappan remained in jail due to another case of money laundering filed by the Enforcement Directorate, which had accused him of receiving money from abroad to instigate riots. Last month, the Allahabad High Court granted him bail in that case too. The sessions court in Lucknow finally signed his release order on Wednesday, allowing his release.

"UAPA is nothing but a political tool to oppress (by the government)," Kappan told ET. "I will continue to work as a journalist but right now I have not decided which organisation I will work for."

Kappan was working as a journalist with Malayali online portal Azhimukam when he was arrested.

While granting bail in the Prevention of Money Laundering Act case, the Allahabad HC had observed that except for allegations that Rs 5,000 was transferred in the bank account of co-accused Atikur Rehman, there was no other transaction recorded either in Kappan's or Rehman's account.