New Delhi: Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair will appear at Delhi’s Patiala Court today in a case for allegedly hurting religious sentiments, via a social media post. Zubair was released from the Integrated Intelligence and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of the Delhi Police Task Force in Dwarka earlier today. On Thursday, he was taken to Bengaluru by the IFSO unit. He transfers the Delhi HC to challenge the remainder issued by the Patiala Court to the Delhi Police Special Cell.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court on Friday issued a notice to the Delhi police regarding Zubair’s allegation of challenging guardianship granted by a magistrate’s court. He was detained by police for four days on June 28 in a case involving an offensive tweet. Judge Sanjeev Narula gave the Delhi Police a notice of the guilty plea and asked them to submit a response within two weeks and respond within a week. The case has been scheduled for July 27 for trial. Judge Narula commented: “This proposal raises the legal question of the dismissal of the subordinate party, the case will be heard. I tend to post notices of petitions.
The bench also said: “The carnage ends tomorrow, the court will decide the case according to the document available to the police after the carnage.” The lower court hearing will not be influenced by the arguments of the attorney appearing in this petition and while he waits, the observation bench. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the Delhi Police, stressed that hearing the case in lower courts should not be jeopardized. Appearing on behalf of Zubair, attorney Vrinda Grover argued that guardianship in the case was granted mechanically and without judicial review. He argued that no court could hear this case because it was prohibited by statute of limitations.
“This incident is linked to a tweet related to the case posted in 2018, four years ago. The sections where the case is brought stipulate a maximum sentence of three years. She also said it was a case that stabbed a dagger into the heart of civil rights. My client is a journalist who was summoned for questioning in another case but was arrested in this one, she argued. His cell phone from which the alleged tweet was made in 2018 has been lost. This incident was reported to the police. Now they have also taken his new cell phone and laptop, Grover added.
She argued that the tweets were hosted on Twitter servers, not mobile. “The Integrated Intelligence and Strategic Operations Organization (IFSO) that is investigating the case are cybercrime experts, but they need cell phones and laptops to investigate this case,” she said. more.
Zubair was convicted under sections 153A (inciting hostility between different groups on the grounds of religion, race, place of birth, place of residence, language) and 295A (intentional and malicious conduct, intended to offend offend the religious sentiments of any class by offending their religion or beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Delhi police said.
