Delhi HC to hear Mohammed Zubair’s plea challenging arrest, interrogation
Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair was arrested Monday in connection with an allegedly objectionable tweet posted in 2018.
The Delhi High Court on Thursday agreed to hear a plea by journalist and Alt News fact-checking website co-founder Mohammed Zubair challenging his arrest and custodial interrogation.
The court will hear the plea tomorrow. Zubair was arrested Monday – weeks after he flagged ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s comments in the Prophet row – and in connection with an allegedly objectionable tweet he posted in 2018. He was sent to the custody of Delhi Police for one-day.
Custody was extended Tuesday by four days after chief metropolitan magistrate Snigdha Sarvaria agreed with the prosecution’s claim – that Zubair had been non-cooperative during interrogation and had to be taken to Bengaluru to recover a mobile phone and laptop.
Earlier on Tuesday a senior Delhi Police officer confirmed Zubair had refused to hand over devices he may have used when he allegedly made the ‘highly provocative’ social media post. Police also said he was ‘evasive’ when asked questions and did not co-operate.
The FIR against the journalist – a copy of which has been seen by Hindustan Times – was registered on the basis of a sub-inspector’s complaint; the document is not online because of its sensitive nature, officials have said.
The complainant was monitoring social media when he came across a post seeking action against Zubair for a tweet that said: ‘BEFORE 2014: Honeymoon Hotel. After 2014: Hanuman Hotel.’ The tweet was posted with an image of the hotel’s signboard.
Zubair’s colleague and Alt News co-founder Pratik Sinha has alleged Zubair was arrested without notice – which is mandatory under law for the sections under which he has been held. He also said that no police person in the van in which Zubair was taken away was wearing any name tag.
On Tuesday he tweeted – in response to a tweet by a TV news channel showing screenshots of the remand copy – “… Zubair’s lawyers haven’t been provided the copy despite multiple requests to the concerned police personnel.”
Mohammed Zubair’s arrest has sparked waves of condemnation online, with journalists, activists and opposition leaders speaking out in support.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi tweeted: “Every person exposing BJP’s hate, bigotry and lies is a threat to them. Arresting one voice of truth will only give rise to a thousand more. Truth ALWAYS triumphs over tyranny.” AIMIM chief and MP Asaduddin Owaisi, Trinamool MP Derek O’Brien and a Rashtriya Janata Dal MP joined Gandhi in criticising the government.