The Allahabad High Court has extended the stay on the arrest of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair until February 27, 2025. This decision relates to an FIR filed against him concerning his posts on 'X' (formerly Twitter) about Yati Narsinghanand's alleged derogatory speech.
A bench comprising Justice Siddhartha Varma and Justice Yogendra Kumar Srivastava granted this extension after both parties' counsels agreed to it. The case was scheduled for today following an incomplete hearing on February 19.
The government's counsel, Additional Advocate General Manish Goyal, argued that Zubair's posts created a narrative intended to incite the public. He questioned the timing of these posts, suggesting they added fuel to the fire.
Conversely, Zubair's Senior Counsel, Advocate Dilip Kumar, contended that the posts were part of Zubair's professional duty as a fact-checker and did not constitute an offense under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita or the Indian Penal Code. He emphasized that Zubair was exercising his freedom of speech by highlighting Narsinghanand's conduct, noting that numerous news articles and social media accounts had addressed the same issue.
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The FIR, lodged by the Ghaziabad Police in October 2024, accuses Zubair of promoting enmity among religious groups. This followed a complaint by Udita Tyagi, an associate of Yati Narsinghanand, alleging that Zubair's posts incited violence by sharing old video clips of Narsinghanand's speeches. She claimed that these posts led to violent protests at Dasna Devi Mandir in Ghaziabad.
In response, Zubair has challenged the FIR, arguing that his posts were within his right to free speech and aimed at urging authorities to take action against Narsinghanand for his provocative statements.
The High Court's extension of the stay on Zubair's arrest provides him with temporary relief as the legal proceedings continue.
