India’s Allahabad High Court Tuesday granted bail to Mohammad Alam, a co-accused with journalist Siddique Kappan under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. The court held that there is “no complicity and involvement” of Mohammad Alam in any kind of terrorist activities against the country.
The two were arrested on 5 October 2020 by the Uttar Pradesh police when they were going to Hathras town to report the rape and murder of a Dalit girl. The charges against both accused include promoting enmity, outraging religious feelings, sedition, criminal conspiracy, terrorist funding, and tampering with computer source documents.
The court distinguished the allegations against Mohammad Alam from Sidhique Kappan’s case on the basis that no incriminating material was recovered from Alam. Therefore, the precedent of the Zahoor Ahmad Shah case, which states that an accused person must remain in custody if the accusations against them are prima facie true, can’t be applied in this case.
Earlier the Allahabad High Court denied and rejected Sidhique Kappan’s bail application on the rationale that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the accusations against Kappan are prima facie true.
