The Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned journalist Siddique Kappan's plea seeking the release of his passport to November 2, after counsel for Uttar Pradesh sought time to take instructions. No order on the merits of the application was passed, Live Law and LawBeat reported.

A bench of Justice P.S. Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe heard the application. Advocate Ruchira Goel appeared for the State of Uttar Pradesh, according to LawChakra's report of the hearing.

Source: LawChakra

Kappan's passport has remained deposited with the investigating machinery under a condition imposed when the Supreme Court granted him bail in the UAPA case in September 2022. He was arrested in October 2020 while travelling to Hathras to report on a case there, and was booked under the UAPA and other laws on allegations, which he has denied through his case, that he was part of a conspiracy to incite unrest. The allegations have not been proved and the trial continues.

Source: LawBeat

After the Supreme Court's bail in the UAPA case, Kappan remained in custody in a separate money-laundering case until the Allahabad High Court granted him bail in that case in December 2022, and he was released in February 2023, LawBeat reported.

The passport application, listed as MA 2979/2026 in his earlier criminal appeal according to Live Law, will now be taken up on November 2, when the State's response is expected to shape how the Court approaches the request.

Source: Live Law