'How many more months and years will we have to wait for truth to win?'
'Will anyone give us back the months and years we have lost waiting for that 'one day'?'
It was on the 5th of October 2020 that Delhi-based journalist Sidhique Kappan was arrested in Uttar Pradesh when he was on his way to Hathras.
Kappan was arrested under Section 17 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) that dealt with raising funds for terrorist acts.
On September 9 2022, the Supreme Court, the highest court granted him bail.
The court said he would remain in Delhi for six weeks following his release and report to the local police station every Monday.
After six weeks, he could travel to his native place, Malappuram in Kerala, but would continue to report at the local police station there too.
Two months have passed since the highest court in India granted him bail.
But Sidhique Kappan is still languishing in jail.
Why?
A dejected, disappointed and tired Raihanah Sidhique is trying to regain strength to continue her fight to bring her husband back home.
"It is like, when we get out of one problem, they create something else so that there is no escape for him," Raihanah tells Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier.
It has been two months since the Supreme Court granted Kappan bail. Why is his release getting delayed?
It was for the UAPA case that the Supreme Court granted him bail, but the police have not finished the verification process that is needed for his release.
It is a very simple process which should have been over long ago, but they are delaying it indefinitely.
The police have to only verify the two persons who have stood guarantee for Kappan's release. As you know, one of them is the retired Lucknow University professor (Rooprekha Verma).
They also need to show Rs 1 lakh as surety. The professor has shown her vehicle and the second person has shown a bank balance of Rs 1 lakh.
Can you believe the verification done by the police of the bond has not yet reached the court?
The Supreme Court?
No, it is the NIA court in Lucknow that wanted the guarantee of two persons residing in UP bond.
It took some time for us to get two persons residing in UP. How do I, who live in Malappuram in Kerala, know anyone in UP?
With the help of Kappan's friends in the media, we got two people, but the police have not get done the verification of these two people.
Though our lawyer has been trying so hard, the police are not completing the verification, which is a very simple process.
Do they give any reason for the delay?
We have no idea why they are delaying it. We have been waiting for two months hoping it will be over soon. We haven't spoken about it till now as we were hopeful.
I just cannot understand why the verification process has to be delayed indefinitely like this when the Supreme Court has already granted bail in the UAPA case.
Do you think they are doing it on purpose?
Now, I have my own doubts. Till now, I was not thinking on those lines. When they asked for two local persons as guarantee also, we tried hard and got them.
Still, it is getting prolonged....
The ED court rejected Kappan's bail application again this week. Is it the PMLA case?
Yes, it is a money laundering case. Kappan was arrested in 2020 under UAPA, but they slapped the money laundering case on him much later, in 2021.
The first accused in the money laundering case is one Rauf Sherif and he was arrested in Kerala. Rauf Sherif is the national general secretary of the Campus Front of India.
The person who was the first accused has been granted bail by the Kerala high court, and the fifth accused got bail yesterday (October 31). But the bail plea of Kappan, who is the fourth accused, has been denied. What is the meaning of all this?
Also, nowhere in the order it mentions Kappan was involved in any money laundering. They do not have any evidence to show that there has been any money transaction between Kappan and Rauf Sherif, or Kappan and Popular Front. Yet Kappan has been denied bail in the ED case!
I am totally clueless. It shocked and pained me a lot as we never expected this kind of a verdict in the ED case.
The ED case was slapped much later, but with no arrest warrant. Just before he got the bail in the UAPA case, they issued an arrest warrant in the ED case.
It is like, when we get out of one problem, they create something else so that there is no escape for him.
Do you think Kappan has been made a scapegoat?
Definitely. Even in the UAPA case, when the Chief Justice asked, where is the evidence, they had nothing to show the court.
It was in the UAPA case that they mention the Rs 45,000 he received, and we have given very clear explanation on the amount that it was not given to him by Popular Front. They can easily check his account and find out from where Rs 45,000 came.
In the case of the ED case, Rauf Sherif is the first accused. He has been granted bail by the high court. And there is also no evidence to show that there has been any money transaction between Kappan and Rauf Sherif.
Still, why is it that Kappan has been denied bail? I fail to understand.
It must have been a huge shock for you when his bail petition was rejected again...
It was very shocking and painful.
In the case of the UAPA case, we went to the lower court first, but his bail plea was rejected. We then went to the high court. Again, his bail was rejected.
We went to the Supreme Court with the same plea and the Supreme Court found that there was no evidence to not grant him bail.
What is your next plan of action? Are you going back to the Supreme Court to let the court know that he is still in custody even after the apex court granted him bail?
I don't know ....
I will have to ask our lawyer what we can do next.
We were so hopeful that he would be back home soon when the Supreme Court granted him bail. But the verification is not over even after two months.
I don't know how much more I have to endure...
I thought he would be with us today or tomorrow or day after... but we are yet to see the day..
It must have been a shock for your children too...
Yes. They were in such terrible shock that after they were back from school, they just sat there without uttering a word.
My son was texting me from college throughout the day.
It must have been a huge shock for Kappan too.
How is his mental state now?
He sounded much better after he got bail from the Supreme Court. He was very hopeful of coming back home soon as he also thought the ED case would not be a problem.
With this, all our hopes were shattered.
I just couldn't sleep that day. I felt so dejected and helpless.
It is like there is no value for truth.
I do not want my young children to grow up thinking truth will not win. I am worried about what is going through their mind right now.
I know one day truth will prevail. But when will that 'one day' come?
How many more months and years will we have to wait for truth to win?
Will anyone give us back the months and years we have lost waiting for that 'one day'?
I know I cannot remain dejected. There is no time for me to sit at home crying.
There is no other option in front of me, but gather strength and continue fighting.
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
