Justice D Y Chandrachud cited free speech while hearing Goswami’s case but he remained silent when advocate Kapil Sibal pointed out the top court’s response in the case of Kappan
By Muslim Mirror Staff
New Delhi: New York-based press watchdog, The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), has raised concern on the imprisonment of journalist Siddique Kappan and denial of access to his family members and lawyers, which is a “clear violation of his fundamental rights under the Indian constitution as well as international law”.
In a statement, CPJ’s senior Asia researcher Aliya Iftikhar said, “Kappan should never have been jailed in the first place and should be freed at once.”
The watchdog Kappan was arrested on October 5 on his way to report on an alleged gang rape and murder case in Uttar Pradesh. “Uttar Pradesh authorities have harassed other journalists working on the same story,” the statement added.
The top court has sought a response from Uttar Pradesh government on a plea seeking the release of Kappan. The court has been approached by Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ).
The top court faced criticism as it conducted an instant hearing by a vocational bench and granted bail to Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami in an abetment to suicide case. However, the same court has failed to order his release despite hearings.
Justice D Y Chandrachud cited free speech while hearing Goswami’s case but he remained silent when advocate Kapil Sibal pointed out the court’s response in the case of Kappan.
