Allahabad high court stays arrest of Mohd Zubair
In her complaint, general secy of Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati Trust claimed Zubair posted a video clip of an old programme of Narsinghanand on Oct 3 with the intent to provoke violence against him
PRAYAGRAJ The Allahabad high court on Friday stayed the arrest of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair till January 6, in connection with an FIR accusing him of promoting enmity among religious groups following a complaint by an associate of priest Yati Narsinghanand.
The bench comprising Justice Siddhartha Varma and Justice Nalin Kumar Srivastava also restrained Zubair from leaving the country till January 6, the next date of hearing.
In her complaint, general secretary of Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati Trust Udita Tyagi claimed Zubair posted a video clip of an old programme of Narsinghanand on October 3 with the intent to provoke violence against him.
The FIR was lodged against Zubair by Ghaziabad police last month under sections 196 (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 228 (fabricating false evidence), 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 356(3) (defamation) and 351(2) (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
“Since the counsel for the petitioner has given his undertaking that he would not go out of the country, we also provide that the petitioner shall not go out of the country. He may surrender his passport with the Commissioner of Police at Ghaziabad,” the court further directed.
The court directed the state government to file detailed counter-affidavit within three weeks. It also directed the counsel for the informant to file counter-affidavit within the same period. After this, the court fixed January 6, 2025, as the next date of hearing.
In his writ petition before the high court, Zubair requested the court to quash the FIR and protection from coercive action.