The wife of jailed journalist Siddique Kappan has welcomed the order by the Supreme Court putting the sedition law on hold. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana on Wednesday, directed the Union and state governments to refrain from registering any FIRs invoking sedition provision till the Union government completes a review of the law
"I am extremely happy to hear the verdict and I hail the Chief Justice Ramana for this directive. Even though Kappan has done no wrong, he is in a jail in Uttar Pradesh and he still has cases registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act... we wish the courts should look into this also and come out with appropriate orders," said Raihanath, who lives in Kerala's Malappuram district.
According to the FIR filed by the Uttar Pradesh Police on October 7, 2020, Kappan has been charged under Sections 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code, in addition to provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Information Technology Act.
Kappan, a Delhi-based journalist, was arrested along with three others on October 5 2020, while they were on their way to Uttar Pradesh's Hathras to report the brutal gang rape and murder of a Dalit girl. Kappan and the others were travelling in a car when they were stopped by the UP Police at the Hathras toll plaza and detained.
They were accused by the Uttar Pradesh of planning to 'foment trouble' and booked under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and other penal provisions. The UP Police also claim that Kappan has links to the Popular Front of India (PFI).