On Monday (July 11), Alt News co-founder and alleged ‘fact checker’ Mohammed Zubair was sent to 14-day judicial custody by the Mohammadi Session Court.
As per reports, he was presented before the court via video link from the Sitapur jail.
Additional charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Sections 153B, 501(1)(B) and 505(2), are pressed against Mohammed Zubair.
Uttar Pradesh | Mohammadi Sessions Court sends Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair to 14-day judicial custody. He was presented before the court through video conferencing from Sitapur Jail. Sections 153B, 505(1)(B), 505(2) added to the FIR against him.
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) July 11, 2022
(File photo) pic.twitter.com/Pz1LtWpl5n
Earlier, an arrest warrant was issued against the Alt News co-founder in the Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh.
The warrant was issued based on a complaint filed, through the court, by Sudarshan news journalist Ashish Kumar Katiyar on September 18 last year. Based on that complaint, the police have now initiated proceedings to take Zubair into their custody.
In his complaint, Katiyar had stated that the Alt News co-founder played a malicious role in uniting Muslims, across the world, against India and peddling communal discord even during the Coronavirus pandemic.
He informed that the cops initially refused to lodge a complaint, thereby forcing him to knock on the door of the court. Later, an FIR was registered against Mohammed Zubair at the Mohammadi police station on the directive of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM).
While talking to Opindia, Katiyar said, “The case is pending for the past 10 months. After Delhi and Sitapur police, now the Lakhimpur police have initiated proceedings against Zubair.”
He also informed me that the Alt News co-founder will soon be brought to Lakhimpur Kheri. Opindia also reached out to the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Mohammadi police station.
“We have submitted warrant B at the Sitapur jail. The matter is being investigated as per the rules,” he informed. It must be mentioned that warrant ‘B’ is issued when the police want to seek custody of an accused, who is booked in a different jail or a district.
