Raihanath Kappan, wife of jailed Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan, is hopeful that her husband will finally get bail after being incarcerated for nearly two years. A Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and Justice S Ravindra Bhat fixed the bail plea of Siddique Kappan for final disposal on September 9. A Delhi based Malayali journalist, Siddique Kappan was arrested on October 5, 2020. He has been in jail even since. The only time Siddique Kappan was granted bail was in February 2021 to see his ailing mother. His mother, Khadeeja Kutty, passed away in June that year.
“It has already been two years. For us who are living outside, it may not be a long time period, but it’s tough for someone in jail. It is no good if we get justice after so many years,” Raihanath tells TNM from their house at Vengara in Malappuram district. Raihanath has been travelling to Uttar Pradesh and Delhi to meet Kappan briefly and to conduct the case. “I was confined to my family till October 2020. But I had to step out after the arrest of Kappan, so that he could get justice. Our family had no idea about what court cases were. In many ways, I have had a host of experiences that I was completely unaware of, earlier. I had no option but to become a journalist and a lawyer to conduct the case for Kappan. I have been learning what a case is and what court proceedings are," Raihanath says.
Recalling the time of his arrest, she says that the last time they had their regular daily phone call was on October 4, 2020. Raihanath would keep a track on whether Kappan had eaten or taken his medicine, as he suffered from diabetes. On October 5, she grew anxious when her calls and messages were not answered. It was the next morning that she was told by a family friend that Kappan was arrested. Even then she thought and was also told by his friends in the media that he would be released soon. "But later I came to know that UAPA charges were imposed on him. Now I have realised how imposing charges of UAPA on someone would affect a family," she says.
Watch Raihanath Kappan's Interview to TNM