Alt News Co-Founder Zubair Moves Delhi Court Seeking Bail in 2018 Tweet Case

The matter will be heard on Tuesday, 12 July, by the Additional Sessions Judge as per the roster.

Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair.

(Photo: PTI)

Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair on Monday, 11 July, moved a Delhi court seeking bail in the case registered against him over a 2018 tweet for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

He was denied bail by the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court on 2 July.

The matter will be heard on Tuesday, 12 July, by Additional Sessions Judge as per the roster, LiveLaw reported.

Since his arrest in 2018 tweet case, several other cases have been filed against the fact-checker, triggering condemnation from activists and journalists who have slammed the state's actions against the journalist.

The case pertains to a 2018 tweet carrying a "questionable image with a purpose to deliberately insult the god of a particular religion," the police said.

Notably, the questionable image in question is taken from the scene of a Bollywood movie which has aired on TV several times.

Sent to 14-Day Custody in Yet Another Case

Meanwhile, a court in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri on Monday, sent Zubair to judicial custody for 14 days.

A warrant was issued by the Lakhimpur Kheri police against the fact-checker on 9 July over a case registered against him in 2021 for allegedly spreading enmity between religious groups.

The warrant was issued to Zubair at the Sitapur district jail on Friday, asking him to appear before the court by 11 July.

In the FIR accessed by The Quint, the complainant, named Ashish Kumar Katiyar, accused Zubair of propagating fake news on Twitter with the motive of disturbing communal harmony, following which a case was registered under Section 153-A (promoting enmity between two groups) of the Indian Penal Code.

The Supreme Court had granted five-day interim bail to Zubair on Friday in the Uttar Pradesh police's FIR against him over his reference in a tweet to certain Hindutva leaders as ‘hatemongers.’

The court said that the order pertains to the ‘hatemongers’ case FIR, and not any other FIR against him.

Despite the relief, Zubair has not been released since he continues to be in judicial custody in connection with an FIR registered by the Delhi Police for allegedly hurting religious sentiments and promoting enmity through his 2018 tweet, in which he had shared an image from a Hindi film that showed the signboard of a hotel visibly changed from 'Honeymoon Hotel' to 'Hanuman Hotel.'