Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan is likely to walk out of jail on Thursday morning. A sessions court in Lucknow on Wednesday signed orders to release him on bail, a report said.
Kappan, a reporter for Malayalam news portal Azhimukham, and secretary of the Delhi unit of Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ), along with three others were arrested while on his way to UP's Hathras to report on a Dalit woman's rape and murder two years ago. He was booked under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and also under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The bail granted by the Lucknow court comes one month after he was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court in connection with the PMLA case, according to the legal news website Live Law.
On 9 September, the Supreme Court granted Kappan bail in the draconian UAPA case, saying that “every citizen has the right to free expression”.
There was a long delay in his release as the authorities took time to complete the mandatory verification of the surety, mentioned by the court, in the UAPA bail order, according to a report.
Kappan's counsel had denied all allegations against him, stating that he was going to Hathras to discharge his duty as a professional journalist, when he was illegally detained by the UP Police in violation of his fundamental rights.