The Allahabad High Court has granted interim protection from arrest to Alt News journalist Mohammed Zubair, who is facing charges from the Uttar Pradesh Police for allegedly endangering India’s sovereignty under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The court has ordered that no action be taken against Zubair until January 6, 2025, when the case will be revisited.
Zubair was booked following a tweet where he described a speech by Ghaziabad Dasna Devi Temple priest Yati Narsinghanand as “derogatory and hateful.” The complaint, filed by priest Udita Tyagi, claimed Zubair shared an old video clip with the intent to incite violence. Zubair’s plea argues that his post was a lawful alert to authorities and did not promote disharmony or defamation.
The court has directed the state to respond to Zubair’s plea, which challenges the charges against him, asserting that sharing publicly available videos cannot constitute defamation.