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SC grants five-day interim bail to journalist Siddique Kappan to meet his ailing mother in Kerala

The top court, however, restrained Kappan from giving any interview to the media or meet the public.

SC grants five-day interim bail to journalist Siddique Kappan to meet his ailing mother in Kerala-dnm
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New Delhi, First Published Feb 15, 2021, 1:47 PM IST

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday granted journalist Siddique Kappan five days’ interim bail to visit his ailing mother. Kappan was arrested on October 5 while he was on his way to Hathras, to cover the rape and murder of a Dalit teenager.

An interim bail application filed by Kerala Union of Working Journalists, sought release of Kappan, citing critical health condition of his 90-year-old bed-ridden mother and her last wish to see her son.

"The mother is said to be in a critical situation and that she is likely not to survive for many days. In these circumstances, we consider it appropriate to permit Kappan to visit his mother and return to prison at the end of the 5th day," Bobde was quoted as saying by Live Law.

The top court, however, restrained Kappan from giving any interview to the media or meet the public.

Chief Justice SA Bobde said that the UP police will take him to his mother's house and also guard the house but will not accompany him when he meets his 90-year-old mother.

Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh government had agreed to facilitate a phone call between Kappan and his mother. KUWJ's lawyer Kapil Sibal said the video call was arranged on January 28, but his mother was too sick to even look at the phone.

The Kerala-based journalist, who was arrested by Uttar Pradesh police last year while on his way to Hathras, will be under police guard during his visit. He was going to a village in Hathras to meet the family of an alleged gangrape and murder victim.

Last year, the Uttar Pradesh government had filed an affidavit in the apex court claiming that Kappan was going to Hathras under the "garb of journalism" with a very determined design to create caste divide and "disturb law and order situation."

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