THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, Jan 31: The Supreme Court has refused to grant bail to journalist Rupesh Kumar Singh, a resident of Ramgarh, who was arrested on July 17, 2022, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The police have accused him of having links with the banned Naxalite organization CPI (Maoist).
Last year, on September 6, the Jharkhand High Court had rejected Singh’s bail plea. He later moved the Supreme Court, but the apex court declined to interfere with the High Court’s decision stating that it did not wish to interfere with the Jharkhand High Court’s order.
Singh’s counsel argued that he is an independent journalist who has reported extensively on issues like displacement and police encounters. The defense claimed that he was falsely implicated in a conspiracy and arrested on fabricated charges of having connections with a Naxalite group.
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According to the police, Singh was an active member of CPI (Maoist) and had knowledge of the hideouts of top Naxal leaders, including Prashant Bose and Sheela Marandi. A chargesheet has already been filed against him.
Notably, in 2021, Singh had approached the Supreme Court against the central government, alleging that his mobile phone was targeted with the controversial Pegasus spyware. His petition claimed that the software was used to monitor him.
With the Supreme Court’s decision, Singh will remain in custody as the legal battle over his alleged Naxal links continues.
