Zubair's devices still under probe: Delhi Police tell court

Data is to be recovered from these devices, and is to be analysed with respect to the tweet in question and other similar natured tweets done by accused Mohd Zubair, the Special Cell said in its report.

New Delhi: Opposing a plea by fact checker and journalist Mohammad Zubair seeking release of his mobile phone and other electronic devices, the city police has told the Delhi high court that the devices were under analysis for recovery of data.

Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair comes out of Tihar Jail after being granted interim bail by the SC in all FIRs lodged against him in UP, on July 20. (PTI)

The court had issued a notice to the police on July 1, in connection with the devices seized from the journalist during his arrest in connection with an alleged objectionable tweet he had posted in 2018 against a Hindu deity.

In a status report filed before justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, police have said that Zubair may approach the concerned forum for the release of the seized articles as and when the analysis of the devices is completed.

“That, the peripherals seized during the police custody remand have already been deposited at Forensic Science Laboratory, Rohini, Delhi. Data is to be recovered from these devices, and is to be analysed with respect to the tweet in question and other similar natured tweets done by accused Mohd Zubair (if retrieved). As such the seized articles/devices are not beyond allegation, as mentioned by the petitioner in his plea,” Delhi Police’s special cell said in its report filed before the court on September 14.

The investigating agency has also said that while granting interim bail to Zubair in six FIRs lodged at various police stations in Uttar Pradesh, the Supreme Court had subsequently transferred investigation of these six cases to Delhi Police, and disbanded the SIT of Uttar Pradesh Police.

On Thursday, the court granted time till October 31 to Zubair’s counsel to file his rejoinder, and posted the matter for hearing on October 31.

During the last hearing on July 27, the court had granted four additional four weeks to the police to respond to Zubair’s plea for release of his electronic devices.

In response, the police told the court that its investigation has disclosed that Zubair made the objectionable tweets in order to gain popularity.

The police alleged that Zubair remained non-cooperative and evasive in answering the queries posed by the investigators, and that only on sustained interrogation, he has revealed that the laptop/ mobile used for tweeting the alleged post were kept at his residence.

Zubair was arrested by the Delhi Police on June 27 for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through one of his tweets.

The Supreme Court had ordered his release on bail on July 20.

Earlier in June, a case was registered against Zubair under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, language, etc.) and 295A (deliberate and malicious act intended to outrage religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Police had said the case was registered on the complaint of a Twitter user who accused him of hurting religious sentiments.