E-Paper
Lakhimpur Kheri court sends Mohd Zubair to 14-day judicial custody in 2021 case
The Lakhimpur Kheri court has fixed July 13 as the next date of hearing on Alt New co-founder Mohammed Zubair’s police custody remand
A court in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri on Monday sent Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair to 14 days’ judicial custody in connection with a case lodged against him for allegedly promoting enmity in 2021 on the complaint of a private news channel’s reporter.
Zubair, who is presently lodged in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur jail in connection with another case registered against him for hurting religious sentiments through a tweet, was produced in the court of the Mohammadi additional chief judicial magistrate (ACJM) in Lakhimpur Kheri through video conferencing.
Senior prosecuting officer (SPO) SP Yadav and assistant prosecuting officer (APO) Awdhesh Yadav told HT that the prosecution argued for 14-day police custody remand of Zubair. The court has fixed July 13 as the next date of hearing on Zubair’s police custody remand, APO said.
Meanwhile, defense counsel Harjit Singh told press persons that they have moved a bail application on behalf of Zubair in the ACJM Mohammadi court today. Hearing on the bail is also scheduled on July 13, he added.
The SPO also confirmed to HT about the filing of bail application in the ACJM court.
The APO said Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 153B, 505(1)B and 505(2) were added in the first information report (FIR).
Advocate Harjeet Singh, Surendra Kumar and Kuldeep Singh argued in the court today in defense of Zubair.
An FIR was lodged against Zubair with Mohammadi Kotwali police on September 18, 2021 on the court’s order under section 153A by one Ashish Kumar Katiyar, a resident of Mohammadi town and reporter of a private news channel.
In his FIR, complainant Ashish Kumar Katiyar implicated Zubair, Twitter Inc and Twitter Communication and accused Zubair of misrepresenting a news story in his tweet with an intention to provoke enmity. According to the FIR, the story was aired on the channel which Katiyar represented.
Acting upon the FIR, Kheri police obtained a warrant B from ACJM Mohammadi court and served upon Zubair on July 9 while he was in Sitapur jail. The court summoned Zubair on July 11.
Zubair was arrested on June 17 by Delhi Police in a case related to an “objectionable tweet” he had posted in 2018 against a Hindu deity. He was produced in Sitapur in connection with a different complaint against him for allegedly calling Hindu seers “hate mongers”.
