The Supreme Court on Monday said that it will hear the plea four weeks later which is filed by a Journalists’ body that challenges the arrest of a Journalist under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh.
The journalist was arrested by the state police while he was on his way to Hathras, where a Dalit woman died on September 29 after being allegedly gang-raped by four upper caste men on September 14.
The bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian said that the petitioner should approach the Allahabad High Court for relief in the matter.
In response, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ), submitted before a bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian, that with the UAPA charges added in the case the journalist will not get any relief from any court in the state.
SC listed the plea challenging UAPA charges against Journalist, to hear after 4 weeks: Key points
- The petitioner contended before the court it has filed the petition after being seriously aggrieved by the violation of Articles 14, 19, and 21.
- The plea claimed that on October 5, Kappan was arrested at Toll Plaza near Hathras, on his way to Boolgarhi village. He was on the way to report on the alleged rape and death of the 19-year-old.
- According to the Uttar Pradesh Police, the four men linked with the PFI's student wing Campus Front of India (CFI) were identified as Atiq-ur-Rehman, Siddique, Masood Ahmed, and Alam.
- The journalist body of Kerala identified Malappuram native Siddique by his full name as Siddique Kappan and claimed he is a senior Delhi-based journalist.
- The petitioner said neither the family members nor Siddique's colleagues were informed about the arrest nor the place of his detention.
