Mohd Zubair moves SC to quash all FIRs registered against him in UP

Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair was sent to 14-day judicial custody after two cases were registered against him in the district on July 4.

New Delhi: Fact-checking website Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair approached the Supreme Court seeking to quash all six FIRs registered against him in Uttar Pradesh and also challenged the constitution of SIT. He also sought clubbing of all the FIRs registered against him.

Zubair in his plea challenged the FIRs registered at Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Muzaffarnagar, Ghaziabad and two at Hathras. The plea also challenged the constitution of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) by the Uttar Pradesh government. Uttar Pradesh government had this week formed the SIT to investigate the six cases registered against Zubair in various districts of the State.

On July 12, the Supreme Court extended till September 7 the interim bail granted to Zubair in the case registered against him by Uttar Pradesh Police in Sitapur. Earlier, the apex court had granted him interim bail for five days in the case. The apex court had clarified that its interim bail order is with respect to the FIR lodged in Sitapur only and has nothing to do with a separate case registered against him in Delhi.

Zubair had challenged the Allahabad High Court order refusing to quash an FIR registered against him by Uttar Pradesh police in Sitapur for a tweet in which he allegedly called three Hindu seers as 'hate mongers'. Sitapur court had sent him to judicial custody and declined his bail plea.

Hathras court on Thursday sent Zubair to 14-day judicial custody after two cases were registered against him in the district on July 4. The case was registered by Deepak Sharma for Zubair's remarks on Hindu Gods and Goddesses in a tweet in 2018.

On Monday, the Lakhimpur court sent Zubair to 14-day judicial custody. Delhi court had also sent him to judicial custody in the case registered against him. The Delhi police had arrested him on June 27 for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through one of his tweets. (ANI)