Jailed journalist Siddique Kappan’s lawyer has alleged that he was transferred from AIIMS, Delhi, back to Mathura jail in UP even though he is unwell. Mathura Jail Superintendent Shailendra Maitreyi, however, told The Sunday Express that the journalist was shifted back to the jail only after he was discharged by AIIMS. On April 28, the Supreme Court directed that Kappan, arrested by Uttar Pradesh Police and charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), be shifted to a government hospital in Delhi for better treatment. The direction had come on an application by the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ), which contended that Kappan had suffered a fall in the jail bathroom, following which he was admitted to K M Medical College in Mathura, and had also tested positive for Covid-19. It pleaded that he be shifted to AIIMS or Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi for proper treatment. Advocate Wills Mathews said on Saturday, “He (Kappan) is still Covid-positive and is unwell. He tested positive on Thursday. Shifting him back to Mathura is in a way contempt of court because the Supreme Court had ordered to shift him for treatment to Delhi.” Mathews said he is discussing the matter with KUWJ and is likely to move the Supreme Court against him being shifted back to Mathura jail.
