A court in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, dropped proceedings on charges related to apprehension of breach of peace against Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan and three others on Tuesday. The police failed to complete the inquiry against them within the prescribed period of six months, the defence counsel said.
Kappan and his alleged associates, who were suspected to be linked to the radical group Popular Front of India (PFI), were arrested on October 5 when they were on their way to the Hathras village after the gangrape-murder of a girl.
They were arrested on the apprehension of causing a breach of peace but were later slapped with stringent charges of sedition and violation of anti-terror law UAPA and Information Technology Act.
Sub Divisional Magistrate, Maant, Ram Datt Ram, on Tuesday discharged accused Atikurrahman, Aalam, journalist Siddique Kappan and Masood arrested under sections 151, 107, 116 CrPC on October 5, 2020 by Maan police, defence counsel Madhuban Datt Chaturvedi said.
The news went viral the moment it broke out on scoail media. While people across India are hailing the UP court for finally letting Kappan go free, many are demanding that sedition cases should be dropped too.
On Tuesday, Pinjra Tod activists Devangana Kalita, Natasha Narwal and Jamia student Asif Iqbal Tanha also got bail in the sedition case registered against them related to Delhi riots.
Twitterati are speaking up against the sedition cases registered the journalists and are asking the court to stop 'intentional harassment' by state.
Have a look.
With inputs from PTI.
