Kerala-based journalist Siddique Kappan, who was scheduled to be released on Tuesday after two years in jail in a money laundering case, may have to wait longer after a lawyers’ strike at Lucknow district court delayed submission of his required documents.
Kappan was granted bail by the Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court in December last year in the case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
According to Kappan’s counsel, there was a delay in verifying his two sureties of ₹1 lakh, which he was asked to provide before being granted the bail. However, after the sureties were verified on Tuesday, they could not be submitted in the court due to the lawyers’ strike.
“The high court had granted bail to Kappan on December 23. His two sureties of ₹1 lakh each could not be verified on time,” his counsel Ishan Baghel said.
“Now, after both the sureties have been verified, these could not be submitted in court today due to a boycott by the lawyers in the district court. He will be released whenever the court resumes business,” Baghel added.
The strike on Tuesday was held in protest against an FIR filed against two lawyers earlier this month by Lucknow police in an accident case.
Kappan and three others were arrested on October 5, 2020 from Mathura toll plaza in Uttar Pradesh when they were on their way to cover the gang rape and murder of a Dalit woman in Hathras town.
The police claimed the accused were active members of now banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) and were trying to disturb law and order in the area.
The journalist was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Information Technology (IT) Act. He was later booked by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the PMLA case.
In September, the Supreme Court granted him bail in connection with the Hathras case. But he continued to be in jail because of ED’s money laundering case.
On December 23, the Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court on Friday granted bail to Kappan after noting that ED’s investigation lacked ascribing any specific role to Kappan in the case relating to illicit transaction of money to the tune of ₹1.36 crore, allegedly collected by PFI, to spread terror in the country.