India

Delhi court grants bail to Mohammed Zubair in 2018 tweet case

Mohammed Zubair. [File Photo]

New Delhi: Delhi Court has granted bail to journalist and Alt News Co-Founder Mohammed Zubair in the 2018 tweet case as FIR was filed in Delhi.

Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala granted the relief to Zubair on a bail bond of Rs 50,000 and one surety of the like amount, and directed him not to leave the country without its prior permission.

A magisterial court had on July 2 dismissed his bail plea and sent him to 14-day judicial custody (JC) in the case, citing the nature and gravity of the offences against the accused and observing that the matter was at an initial stage of the investigation, Mint reported.

Mohammed Zubair filed a petition with the Supreme Court on July 14 asking for the quashing of the six FIRs that had been filed against him in various districts of Uttar Pradesh for allegedly hurting religious emotions.

He also requested interim bail in each of the cases. The journalist’s action came when Zubair was being held in judicial custody for 14 days by a court in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, the report said.

Zubair was escorted from Tihar jail with a Delhi Police escort to the Hathras court and then returned after the court hearings. Zubair is currently in judicial custody in Delhi in connection with an alleged inappropriate tweet he allegedly wrote in 2018 against a Hindu god.

The report quoting attorney Umang Rawat, said the journalist’s detention was “malafide” and carried out under “political pressure.” The prosecutor responded to say that it would be done in the due course.

Advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing for the journalist, said Zubair’s four-year-old tweet was dug out by one anonymous Twitter user, which was his first tweet since creating his account.

“Someone digs out the four-year-old tweet, and I (Zubair) am being accused of creating unrest in the country,” Grover added.

 

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