The Supreme Court of India modified a key bail condition for Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan on Monday, lifting the requirement that he report to a police station in the state of Uttar Pradesh every week. This condition was part of Kappan’s bail terms related to the 2020 Hathras conspiracy case, in which he was accused of intending to incite unrest following a brutal assault and death of a Dalit woman in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh.

The decision, made by a bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Sandeep Mehta, came in response to an application from Kappan. The modification releases Kappan from the weekly reporting obligation, though other bail conditions imposed in September 2022 remain unchanged. These conditions include restrictions on his travel outside Delhi without court permission and the requirement to surrender his passport to authorities.

In October 2020, authorities arrested Kappan along with three others while they were traveling to report on the Hathras case, which had drawn national attention following the death of a young woman after an alleged assault. Initially, the authorities detained Kappan on charges related to breaching public peace, but they later charged him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Police allege that Kappan and the other defendants had links to the Popular Front of India (PFI), an organization accused of inciting protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and stirring unrest in the Hathras incident.

While the Supreme Court’s revised order provides Kappan with some relief, the court emphasized that other bail terms remain in effect as the legal proceedings continue. This decision allows Kappan greater flexibility while maintaining judicial oversight during the case’s ongoing investigation and trial stages.