The Lakhimpur court on Monday sent Alt News co-founder and fact-checker Mohmmad Zubair to 14-day judicial custody in a case filed against him last year for allegedly promoting enmity. He has been charged under Sections 153B, 505(1)(B), 505(2) of the IPC. The court is slated to hear the case on July 13. Zubair is currently in judicial custody and is lodged at Delhi’s Tihar Jail over a separate FIR filed against him by the Delhi Police. On June 27, Zubair was held by the Delhi Police for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through one of his tweets posted in 2018.
Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Arun Kumar Singh had told news agency PTI on Saturday, “The court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Mohammadi in Kheri district has issued the warrant against Mohd Zubair, which was served by Kheri police on Friday.” Mohammadi police station in-charge Ambar Singh told PTI that “a case against Zubair had been lodged by Ashish Katiyar, a reporter for a private news channel on November 25, 2021, by an order by a Kheri court.”
“In his complaint, Katiyar had alleged Zubair of misleading people through his tweet about his channel,” he further added.
The Lakhimpur court’s order came days after the Supreme Court granted a five-day interim bail to the journalist in connection with another tweet wherein he had allegedly called certain Hindu seers “hate mongers.” Shortly after the SC order, the Lakhimpur Kheri police handed him a fresh warrant to appear before the court today.
Even though Zubair had been given bail, he was not released from the Tihar prison as the SC clarified that this was in connection with the Sitapur case and had no bearing on the FIR filed against him in Delhi. The FIR lodged against Zubair in Sitapur was based upon a complaint by Hindu Sher Sena Sitapur district president Bhagwan Sharan on June 1. He was subsequently charged under section 295A (deliberate and malicious act intended to outrage religious feelings) of the IPC and section 67 of the IT Act .
While granting the interim bail order, the top court had restrained Zubair from posting anything on the micro-blogging website and stated that he shall not tamper with any kind of evidence.