Delhi’s Patiala House court on Saturday, 2 July, rejected Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair‘s bail plea and granted the Delhi Police 14-day judicial custody of the jailed journalist. This comes after Zubair was produced before the Patiala House court on Saturday morning, after completion of his four-day police remand.
A Delhi court on Saturday rejected the bail plea of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair and sent him to 14-day judicial custody in a case related to an “objectionable tweet” he had posted in 2018 against a Hindu deity.
Zubair was produced before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Snigdha Sarvaria on Saturday. The police had moved the court for a 14-day judicial custody application, whereas Zubair has moved the court for the bail application. The Delhi Police has added charges of criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence against Zubair and section 35 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act.
Accordingly, Delhi Police have added three new Sections – 201 (for the destruction of evidence), 120-(B) (for criminal conspiracy) of IPC, and Section 35 in the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, to the FIR against Zubair.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has alleged conspiracy and the destruction of evidence in the case over an allegedly objectionable tweet by and also claimed that he received donations from foreign countries, news agency reported on Saturday.
Accordingly, Delhi Police have added three new Sections – 201 (for the destruction of evidence), 120-(B) (for criminal conspiracy) of IPC, and Section 35 in the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, to the FIR against Zubair.
Appearing for Zubair, advocate Vrinda Grover told the court that the phone that they have seized is not from the time when the tweets are. Grover also added that a copy of the remand application has not been provided to them.
Mohammed Zubair was arrested by the Delhi Police on June 27 for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through one of his tweets and was sent to one-day police custody by the trial court on the same day.
Appearing for the accused, Grover moved a bail application before the court on the ground that her client was not required for the investigation any further and said “I (Zubair) am not some terrorist that they need to secure my presence.”
Grover opposed the police plea seeking judicial custody and said, “We are not living in a police state. Till they demonstrate a prima facie case, if it’s made out, I’ll submit it to law. But if they don’t, it’s not a police state.”
Delhi Police have found that most of the Twitter handle that tweeted in support of fact-checker Mohammad Zubair were from Middle Eastern countries and Pakistan, an official said on Saturday. The FIR against Zubair was lodged on June 20 based on the complaint filed by the Duty Officer of the IFSO unit of the Delhi Police Special Cell which tackles cyber crimes.
The vacation bench of Justice Sanjeev Narula issued notice to Delhi Police on the plea and directed it to file a reply in two weeks and a rejoinder to it in one week. The matter has been listed for July 27 for further hearing.
The Case Against Zubair:
Zubair was arrested on Monday, in connection with a case registered against him for a tweet from 2018, and remanded by the duty magistrate to one-day police custody. On Tuesday, Delhi’s Patiala House court extended the police remand by four days.
The charges against Zubair presently are Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The tweet for which Zubair has been booked in this case carries a picture of the signboard of a hotel visibly changed from ‘Honeymoon Hotel’ to ‘Hanuman Hotel.’ It is accompanied by the text: “BEFORE 2014: Honeymoon Hotel. After 2014: Hanuman Hotel.” The picture, however, is a screenshot of a scene from a 1985 comedy film Kissi Se Na Kehna.
