The Supreme Court is scheduled to consider a plea from Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan, who was granted bail after spending two years in custody related to the Hathras Conspiracy case. The plea seeks a relaxation of his bail conditions.

He has sought a relaxation of the bail condition requiring him to report to the police station in Uttar Pradesh every Monday.

On September 9, 2022, former Chief Justice of India U.U. Lalit and Justice S. Ravindra Bhat of the Supreme Court granted bail to Kappan, overturning the Allahabad High Court's earlier denial of bail.

Kappan has been in custody since October 6, 2020, under Sections 17/18 of the UAPA, Sections 120B, 153A/295A of the IPC, and Sections 65/72 of the IT Act. He is accused of conspiring to incite riots in connection with the gangrape and murder of a Dalit minor girl in Hathras, an incident he had traveled to report on.

"Mr.Sibal points out that proceedings under PMLA have also been initiated against the apaapellant in connection with the appellant may be required to attend the proceedings to apply for bail. The conditions as stated above shall stand relaxed to the extent the appellant is required to avail the relief of bail."

In December 2022, the Allahabad High Court granted bail to Kappan in the PMLA case, and he was released from jail in February 2023.

A bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and R. Mahadevan will consider Kappan's plea for the relaxation of bail conditions in two weeks. In the meantime, the Counsel for the State of Uttar Pradesh has been directed to seek instructions on the case.