Siddique Kappan, a Kerala journalist, was arrested by UP Police in 2020 for allegedly trying to incite riots. Photo: The Leaflet.in
Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan walked out of jail on 2 February 2023, after spending over two years in jail – over a month after he was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court in connection with a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case. A Lucknow court on 1 February signed orders to release him on bail after accepting his bail bonds, livelaw.in reported.
Kappan has been in the custody of Uttar Pradesh Police since 6 October 2020, when he was on his way to Hathras to report on the alleged gang rape of a Dalit woman, who later died.
Accusing Kappan of trying to disturb peace and harmony in the area, the UP police booked him under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, and picked him up and three others from Mant in Mathura.
The Supreme Court had in September granted him bail in all other cases, however, he could not get out of jail as the PMLA case was pending. In October 2022, the Lucknow court rejected his bail plea in the case. However, in December 2022, the high court granted him bail in the case.
2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India
Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and
multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.
The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry.
While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately
their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book
printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.
The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.
Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.
Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.
Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.
