Alt News’ Mohammed Zubair moves HC against police remand

New Delhi, June 30

The Delhi High Court will hear on Friday a plea by co-founder of Alt News Mohammed Zubair challenging his police remand in a case related to an alleged objectionable tweet he had posted in 2018 against a Hindu deity.

The petition, which challenges the trial court’s June 28 order granting four days of custody of Zubair to the Delhi Police, is listed for hearing before Justice Sanjeev Narula.

Zubair’s advocate Vrinda Grover on Thursday mentioned the petition before Justice Narula, who agreed to list it on Friday. The Alt News co-founder was arrested on June 27 for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through one of his tweets and was sent to one-day police custody by the trial court on the same day.

After being produced on the expiry of his one-day custodial interrogation, his custody was extended by another four days by Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Snigdha Sarvaria.

As per the trial court’s order, Zubair would be next produced before it on July 2 upon the expiry of the four-day police remand.

Earlier this month, a case against Zubair was registered 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 IPC.