Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday wrote to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath requesting expert healthcare and humane treatment to Journalist Siddique Kappan.
In a tweet, Vijayan informed everyone that he has written to the UP CM, he wrote, “Wrote to the UP Chief Minister @myogiadityanath requesting to ensure expert healthcare and humane treatment to Siddique Kappan.”
Earlier in the day, Kappan’s lawyer wrote to Chief Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana seeking his immediate intervention to release Kappan from Mathura Medical College to Mathura Jail as he has tested COVID-19 positive and is in a critical condition. The letter was written on behalf of the wife Raihanth Kappan.
The letter states that Kappan (who has recently tested Positive for COVID-19) is chained like an animal in a cot of the Medical College Hospital, Mathura, without mobility, and that he is not able to take food, go to toilet for the last more than 4 days, and is very critical.
Additionally, 11 members of parliament from Kerala wrote to CJI Ramana seeking urgent hearing in the matter and issuance of necessary orders to shift him from Mathura Medical College to AIIMS, LiveLaw reported.
The Kerala Union of Working Journalists on April 20 moved a plea in Supreme Court seeking transfer of Kappan to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, citing medical emergency, LiveLaw had reported. The plea said that Kappan had collapsed in the bathroom with serious injuries and later tested positive for COVID-19.
Siddique Kappan (along with three others) was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police while he was proceeding to cover the Hathras case of rape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit woman, later on, they were booked under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and charges of sedition were also slapped against them.
Earlier this month, 8 people allegedly linked to Popular Front of India, including its students’ wing leader K A Rauf Sherif and Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan, were charge-sheeted on Saturday by Uttar Pradesh police’s Special Task Force in a court here for sedition, criminal conspiracy, funding of terror activities and other offences.
(With inputs from LiveLaw)