Kerala-based journalist Siddique Kappan failed to get relief in the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as the sessions court in Lucknow on Monday scheduled the next hearing in the case for September 23.
The Supreme Court last week granted Mr. Kappan bail in other cases but the journalist continues to remain in a Lucknow prison for the PMLA case.
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“No arguments were held in the court on merits of case. The ED has filed their reply today. In the reply, the ED is trying to connect Mr. Kappan with PFI/CFI members. It is clear even in the reply that no transaction or money has come to Kappan’s account in the context of Hathras journey. Money in his bank account was deposited by himself in Cash Deposit Machine of Jangpura Delhi, where he was living,” Mohamad Dhanish K.S., the lawyer representing Mr. Kappan told The Hindu.
Mr. Kappan, who is originally from Kerala, worked as a reporter for Malayalam news website Azhimukham and also held the post of secretary in the Delhi Unit of Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ).
He has been lodged in U.P. jails since his arrest in October 2020, while he had been on his way to Hathras to report on the death and alleged rape of a young Dalit woman.
Mr. Kappan was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Information Technology (IT) Act, apart from the PMLA by the law enforcement agencies.
