Siddique Kappan seeks contempt action against Mathura jail, UP govt officials for denial of medical facilities

Journalist Siddique Kappan has filed a petition before the Supreme Court seeking contempt of court action against Mathura Jail and Uttar Pradesh administration officials for failing to meet his medical requirements. .Kappan, who is currently lodged in Mathura Jail, was arrested on October 5, 2020, while he was en route to cover the alleged gang rape and murder of a Dalit woman in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district. He was accused of attempting to incite violence in the region..The contempt plea is based on an order passed by the Supreme Court in April this year, in the habeas corpus petition filed on behalf of Kappan. In this order, the Court had observed that “owing to the apparent precarious health condition of the arrestee, it is necessary to provide adequate and effective medical assistance to him and to allay all apprehension relating to his health.”.Despite this direction, Kappan in his plea through Advocate Shreepal Singh has alleged that he was shifted to jail from hospital even though he was COVID-19 positive and had blood sugar levels at 460, as well as various other medical problems. .“The act of discharging Mr. Sidhique Kappan at Midnight on 06.05.2021, even depriving him of his sleep amounted to contempt of court…The accused is still in need of the medical assistance, which was denied to him,” the plea stated. .The chargesheet filed by the UP Police accuses the journalist and others of sedition and allegedly attempting to incite violence in the State. The charges invoked against them are under Sections 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, etc) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Information Technology Act..In July this year, a Mathura court had denied Kappan bail..[BREAKING] Mathura court rejects bail plea of Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan

Siddique Kappan seeks contempt action against Mathura jail, UP govt officials for denial of medical facilities

Debayan Roy

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