Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan, walked out a free man on Thursday morning, after two years of being lodged in Lucknow jail in Uttar Pradesh while reporting on the Hathras rape case. The journalist got bail in the two cases filed against him.

Kappan was released after the sureties required for his bail were submitted in court. He and three others were arrested in October 2020 while on their way to Hathras where a Dalit woman died allegedly after being raped. They were accused of trying to instigate violence over the death of the Hathras woman

Kappan was accused of sedition and charged under the tough anti-terror law UAPA. In February 2022, the Enforcement Directorate filed a money laundering case against him, accusing him of receiving money from the banned People's Front of India. Kappan denied any involvement in terror acts or financing and stated that he had gone to Hathras only for reporting.

He was met by his wife Raihana and eldest daughter Muzammil (19) and his other two children Zidhan (14) and Mehnaz (9) were waiting at home for their father to come home.

Also Read: Explainer: Why is Siddique Kappan Still in Jail Despite Securing Bail?