Supreme Court asks U.P. govt to submit medical records of journalist Siddique Kappan

Advocate Wills Mathew, appearing for KUWJ, said that on April 20 he fell in the bathroom and on April 21 Siddique Kappan was tested positive for COVID-19

The Supreme Court on April 27 asked the Uttar Pradesh government to submit medical records of journalist Siddique Kappan who was arrested last year on way to Hathras where a young Dalit woman had died after being allegedly gang-raped. Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) alleged that Mr. Kappan has been chained to a cot in the hospital he was admitted to after falling in the bathroom and later testing positive for COVID-19. The U.P. government refuted the allegations that Mr. Kappan has been chained to a cot at the hospital and said it would file a short reply on his medical records by tomorrow. A Bench of Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and A.S. Bopanna asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the State government, to file the medical records by Wednesday. At the outset, Mr. Mehta said he had preliminary objection to the habeas corpus petition filed by KUWJ as Mr. Kappan has been in judicial custody under the judicial order.