Keypoints:
- Journalist Siddique Kappan and his alleged associates were suspected to be connected to the radical group Popular Front of India (PFI).
- They were arrested on October 5. They were on their way to UP’s Hathras village after the alleged gangrape and murder of a girl.
- The police failed to complete the inquiry within the stipulated period of six months.
On Tuesday, a court in Mathura dropped proceedings on charges which were related to apprehension of breach of peace against Siddique Kappan, who is a Kerala Journalist and three others. The police couldn’t complete the inquiry against them within the prescribed period of six months, said the defense council.
On October 5, Kappan and others were arrested when they were on their way to Hathras village after the gangrape and murder of a dalit teenager. They were arrested on “apprehension of causing a breach of peace”. But later, they were slapped with charges of sedition and violation of the anti-terror law UAPA and Information Technology Act.
Police have claimed that Kappan is associated with the Popular Front of India, his family, and lawyers. Media bodies have continuously reiterated that he was going to Hathras village only to report the gangrape-murder and that he is a professional journalist.
On Tuesday, the sub-divisional magistrate, Maant, Ram Datt Ram had accused Atikurrahman, Aalam, journalist Siddique Kappan and Masood arrested under Sections 151, 107, 116 CrPC on October 5, 2020 by Maan police, said the defence counsel Madhuban Datt Chaturvedi.
The order of the magistrate says that the limitation for completing the proceedings under Section 116 (6) CrPC has expired and the proceedings against the accused have been dropped.
It is since last year, October 7 that the accused are in jail 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 terrorist act) and under the IT Act.
