The Delhi High Court on Monday, January 13 dismissed a petition filed by Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair in connection with his 2018 tweet case. Zubair had sought the return of devices and documents seized by Delhi police, claiming they were unrelated to the allegations in the FIR.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma closed the plea advising Zubair to file an appropriate application with the concerned magistrate for any relief.
Zubair’s lawyer, Advocate Soutik Banerjee sought an adjournment but the Delhi police’s counsel stated that the matter no longer had relevance. The petition filed in 2022 also sought to challenge Zubair’s four-day police custody remand which was deemed infructuous.
The court noted that Zubair had not specified which device or document was wrongly seized, LiveLaw reported. Banerjee clarified that he was referring to Zubair’s mobile phone.
The court then directed Zubair to approach the concerned magistrate for further action, and the case was disposed of.
What is 2018 tweet case?
Zubair had been arrested by Delhi Police in June 2022 for allegedly hurting religious sentiments and promoting enmity through a 2018 tweet. He was granted bail in July 2022.
The charges against him included Section 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups) and Section 295 (Defiling a place of worship) of the Indian Penal Code. The charges were later expanded to include Sections 295A, 201, and 120B of the IPC, as well as Section 35 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010.
The case stemmed from a complaint alleging that Zubair’s tweet, which mocked the renaming of a ‘Honeymoon Hotel’ after Hindu god Hanuman, insulted the religion and could incite hatred among the public.
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