The Supreme Court on Monday granted five-day interim bail to journalist Sidhique Kappan to meet his ailing mother. In its order, the court said that the Uttar Pradesh Police will take Kappan to meet his mother in Kerala. It further ordered Kappan not to interact with the media and public, except relatives, doctors, and close family members.
Kappan was arrested by UP Police on October 5 last year. According to the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ), he was on his way to meet the family of the Hathras victim when he was picked up and charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
During the hearing of the matter on January 22, the counsel for the petitioner had urged the court to allow Kappan’s mother, Kadija Kutty, who is in her 90s, to see the journalist via video conferencing, and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for UP, had assured to get it done.
In the fresh application, the KUWJ said that the health of Kadeeja Kutty, who was already “bed-ridden and extremely unwell…has further deteriorated” and that “whenever she gains consciousness, she is demanding to meet her son, and requesting everyone that its the last wish of a mother to see her son”.
Sidhique Kappan’s wife Raihana, who lives in Kerala, said his mother’s health condition has deteriorated after she came to know that her son is in jail. “She is fighting Alzheimer’s. However, whenever she gets memories back, she asks, ‘where my son is’,” Raihana said.
