SC grants bail to Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan; asks him to be in Delhi for 6 weeks

News Network
September 9, 2022

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New Delhi, Sept 9: Chief Justice of India UU Lalit on Friday said the Supreme Court will grant bail to journalist Siddique Kappan. The journalist from Kerala was arrested in October 2020 under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) when he was on his way to Hathras in Uttar Pradesh where a Dalit woman had died after allegedly being gang-raped.

The journalist will be released after being produced before the trial court in three days. The top court asked Kappan to be in Delhi for the next six weeks and mark his presence with the local police station at Nizamuddin every week. Some other conditions have also been imposed.

After six weeks, the journalist will be allowed to travel to Mallapuram in Kerala where he shall report each week to the local police station. He has to deposit his passport before release and has been restrained from misusing his liberty by getting in touch with the witnesses, the court said.

Opposing his bail, the UP government had earlier told the top court that Kappan had deep links with the PFI and was part of a larger conspiracy to "incite religious discord and spread terror".

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court had earlier rejected his bail application.

Following his release, Kappan's wife Rahyanth said that for two years, the family had suffered a lot. "We are really grateful to the judiciary. Journalist community also stood with us," Rahyanth said. Kappan's mother passed away in June 2021 while he was in jail. In February 2021, the SC had granted him five days to visit his ailing mother.

Muslim League MP ET Mohammad Basheer hailed the apex court verdict, while adding many such undertrials are languishing in jail.

"It is really good, finally he got bail. Many such undertrials are languishing in jail. Such orders will increase people's faith in judiciary," said Basheer.

He also lauded the Kerala Working Journalists' Union for vigorously pursuing the case.

The sexual assault victim had died at a Delhi hospital a fortnight after her alleged rape by four men from her village in Hathras on September 14, 2020. She was cremated in the middle of the night in her village. Her family members had claimed the cremation took place without their consent and that they were not allowed to bring home the body one last time.

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Agencies
November 22,2025

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New York/Washington: US President Donald Trump has again claimed to have solved the conflict between India and Pakistan, repeating his assertion during a meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office.

Mamdani flew to Washington DC for his first meeting with Trump in the White House on Friday. Trump said he “enjoyed” the meeting, which he described as “great.”

During remarks in the Oval Office, with Mamdani standing next to him, Trump repeated his claim that he solved the May conflict between India and Pakistan.

"I did eight peace deals of countries, including India and Pakistan,” he said.

On Wednesday, Trump had said he threatened to put 350 per cent tariffs on India and Pakistan if they did not end their conflict, repeating his claim that he solved the fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called him to say “we're not going to go to war.”

Since May 10, when Trump announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after a “long night” of talks mediated by Washington, he has repeated his claim over 60 times that he “helped settle” the tensions between India and Pakistan.

India has consistently denied any third-party intervention. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians. India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.

Mamdani emerged victorious in the closely-watched battle for New York City Mayor, becoming the first South Asian and Muslim to be elected to sit at the helm of the largest city in the US.

He had been the front-runner in the NYC Mayoral election for months and defeated Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and political heavyweight former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent candidate and was officially endorsed by Trump just hours before the elections.

Indian-descent Mamdani is the son of renowned filmmaker Mira Nair and Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani. He was born and raised in Kampala, Uganda and moved to New York City with his family when he was 7. Mamdani became a naturalised US citizen only recently, in 2018.

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News Network
November 21,2025

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Udupi: The Malpe Police have arrested two men from Uttar Pradesh for allegedly sharing classified information related to Indian Navy vessels with individuals in Pakistan, posing a serious threat to national security.

According to a complaint filed by the CEO of Udupi Cochin Shipyard, Malpe—an institution under the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways—the prime accused, Rohit (29), was working as an insulator through subcontractor M/S Shushma Marine Pvt Ltd. He had earlier served at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi, Kerala, where naval ships are under construction.

Udupi SP Hariram Shankar said the accused had unlawfully shared, via WhatsApp, confidential identification numbers of Navy-related ships and other classified details while working in Kerala, allegedly for illegal gains.

After joining the Malpe shipyard unit, Rohit reportedly continued collecting sensitive information through a friend in Kochi and circulated it to unauthorised individuals, violating national security protocols and potentially endangering India’s sovereignty, unity, and integrity.

Based on the complaint, Malpe Police registered a case under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

A police team led by Karkala Subdivision Assistant Superintendent of Police Harsha Priyamvada—along with PSI Anil Kumar D, ASI Harish, and PC Ravi Jadhav—conducted the investigation and arrested the two accused, identified as Rohit (29) and Santri (37), both residents of Sultanpur district, Uttar Pradesh.

The duo was produced before the court, which remanded them in judicial custody till December 3. Further investigation is in progress.

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News Network
November 22,2025

Mangaluru: Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H has warned of strict action against individuals spreading rumours and attempting to create insecurity within the Muslim community and fuel hatred between Hindus and Muslims through social media.

Referring to a recent social media post alleging that police personnel had entered a masjid premises to check whether beef was being cooked, the commissioner said miscreants were attempting to push their communal agenda. 

“A group of people, both from Mangaluru and abroad, are trying hard to spread rumours. For the past 10 days, they have been attempting to rake up old issues, highlight routine matters as controversies, or fabricate news altogether,” he said.

He reiterated that any such attempts to disturb communal harmony would invite legal action. “Cases will be registered and the accused will be brought to book,” he stated.

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