{"id":120085,"date":"2020-10-17T14:45:31","date_gmt":"2020-10-17T09:15:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/?p=120085"},"modified":"2020-10-19T16:28:19","modified_gmt":"2020-10-19T10:58:19","slug":"hathras-kerala-journalist-siddique-kappan-arrest-uapa-yogi-adityanath","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/cover-story-articles\/hathras-kerala-journalist-siddique-kappan-arrest-uapa-yogi-adityanath\/","title":{"rendered":"UAPA: Single-window solution to curb dissent, journalism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
The arrest of a journalist en route to Hathras has unveiled the draconian features of the Act, under which anyone can be arrested for a period of six months without any proof of anti-national activities. It raises serious questions about violation of human rights.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n By Neeraj Mishra<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n THE tragedy in Hathras exposed numerous infringements of the law by those who are actually meant to uphold it. Uttar Pradesh always had a reputation for being the one state where such incidents are fairly routine but the horrific incident and its aftermath has put the Yogi Adityanath government on the mat and exposed another serious issue highlighted by the arbitrary arrest of a journalist who was on his way to Hathras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The journalist, Siddique Kappan, was picked up by the state police before he could reach Hathras and booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA. The police version is that Kappan, who was arrested with three other associates, was out to create caste disturbance in Hathras in conjunction with a Kerala-based organisation Popular Front of India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kappan hails from Kerala. The police report also claimed that Rs 100 crore had been sent from Gulf countries and it also produced a badly edited email purporting to be from the Black Lives Matter movement in the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the conspiracy theory has as many holes in it as a sieve, Kappan was accused of being a member of or connected with the PFI, an organisation which is not banned, as of now. The central government has been trying desperately to put PFI on the list of banned organisations for indulging in anti-national activities but so far it has been unable to collect sufficient material or proof to back its theory. Whatever his connection, or not, the fact remains that Kappan can remain in jail for the next six months without getting any opportunity to disprove the charges slammed against him. The police, if they want to, can use numerous methods by which it can delay filing the charge sheet legally for at least 90 days. The Supreme Court has set a date for a hearing a month from now, ensuring that he stays in for that period at least.<\/p>\n\n\n\n