The Supreme Court Tuesday (July 12) extended the interim bail granted to Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair until further orders in the case filed in the Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh. Zubair, however, would remain in Delhi Police custody in connection with another case filed against him.
The UP police have been granted 4 weeks by the top court to submit a counterclaim in the case. The matter has been scheduled for final disposition on September 7, 2022, reports Live Law.
The matter was listed before the SC division bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and AS Bopanna.
#SupremeCourt extends the interim bail of #MohammedZubair in Sitapur Police FIR till further order.
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) July 12, 2022
Grants 4 weeks time for State of UP to file counter.
Matter listed on September 7, 2022 for final disposal.#AltNews
Notably, the apex court bench of Justices Indira Banerjee and JK Maheshwari had earlier on July 8, granted interim bail to Zubair for 5 days in the Hindu saints defamation case in UP. The matter again came up for hearing in the Supreme Court today, as the five days ended today.
Zubair petitioned the Supreme Court challenging a lawsuit filed in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur district over a tweet in which he referred to Hindu seers as “hate mongers.”
Mohammed Zubair to still remain in jail
Despite the bail, the alleged ‘fact-checker’ Mohammed Zubair will remain in police custody as the bail has only been granted in the FIR dated 1 June 2022.
On June 1, Khairabad Police of Sitapur district in Uttar Pradesh filed a First Investigation Report (FIR) against Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair for using derogatory language against Mahant Bajrang Muni Udasin, Rashtriya Sanrakshak of Rashtriya Hindu Sher Sena along with Yati Narsinghanand and Swami Anand Swaroop. The FIR was registered based on the complaint of Bhagwan Sharan, district head of Rashtriya Hindu Sher Sena, under sections 295(A) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
Delhi Court defers bail hearing of Mohammed Zubair in the 2018 Tweet case
Meanwhile, the Delhi Court, which was scheduled to hear the bail plea filed by Zubair seeking bail in the Delhi FIR registered against him for allegedly hurting religious sentiments and promoting enmity through his tweet made in 2018, has deferred the hearing. It will now hear the matter on July 14.
Zubair had been denied bail by Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Snigdha Sarvaria in this particular case on July 2.
Alt News co-founder sent to 14 days of judicial custody in case filed in Lakhimpur Kheri in UP
In addition to these two cases, Zubair is also facing charges in a case filed against him in UP’s Lakhimpur Kheri. Only yesterday, (Monday, July 11), the Alt News co-founder and alleged ‘fact checker’ was sent to 14-day judicial custody by the Mohammadi Session Court in the case filed against him in the Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh. Additional charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Sections 153B, 501(1)(B) and 505(2), are pressed against Mohammed Zubair.
Earlier, an arrest warrant was issued against the Alt News co-founder 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.
