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Alt News's Mohammed Zubair moves bail plea, accused of 'criminal conspiracy'
Mohammed Zubair was arrested earlier this week over a tweet he had posted in 2018.
Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair has moved a petition to seek bail days after he was arrested by the Delhi Police. While the cops on Saturday urged for his judicial custody for 14 days, they have not sought further custodial interrogation.
A Delhi court is hearing both the sides as Zubair was produced at the end of his four-day remand.
During the hearing, the court was told by the Delhi Police that three additional sections, including 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 201( disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code were added in the case. Additionally, Section 35 of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) was also added. Section 201 was added as had formatted his mobile device, police claimed.
Public prosecutor, Atul Shrivastav, said that Zubair “had received money from Pakistan, Singapore, and the UAE and Riyadh". "Investigation is ongoing, it's not complete. We are investigating and in case there is more material, we may again seek police custody. Money received through payment gateway Razor Pay," the court was told.
Meanwhile, lawyer Vrinda Grover, representing Zubair, insisted during the hearing that the investigation was over. “This is a case of complete malafide,” she said.
“Zubair was taken to Bengaluru with four officers but not a single technical person was taken. These are public resources….look at the conduct of the investigating agency,” she added.
“My phone has been seized which is not even related to this case and since no hash value has been generated, there is all likelihood of tampering and manipulation which may take me to the new sections added. A lot of hullabaloo is being created as to what is to be hidden. We are not living in a police state. If a prima facie case is made, then its fine, but if not then it's not a police state,” Grover told the court on Zubair's behalf.
On Friday, the Delhi High Court had issued notice to the police, asking them to file a reply within two weeks after a plea was moved by Zubair. The proceedings before the magistrate, the high court clarified, will continue without any prejudice.
The 33-year-old journalist - working for the fact-check website Alt News - was arrested on Monday over a tweet he had posted in 2018. He has been accused of hurting religious sentiments. Later, the Delhi Police was granted a four-day remand.
On Thursday, a four-member team of the officials from the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) wing of Delhi Police had taken Zubair to his Bengaluru home where a laptop and hard disk were seized.
“It is allowing them to invade into the heart of my privacy. And it's like plunging a dagger into the heart of my rights,” Vrinda Grover said arguing on behalf of Zubair," Grover told the HC on Friday on his behalf.
“The question is did a case of this nature warrant a remand? Could my mobile or laptop be directed to be seized? These are very essential questions to be determined particularly wrt electronic device. This has become a pattern, arrest for a very small matter,” she added.
