The Supreme Court on Monday stayed action on five cases against journalist and Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair in connection with FIRs filed against him by the Uttar Pradesh police.
The Top court will consider his bail plea on July 20.
Earlier in the day, Zubair had sought an urgent appeal in the Supreme Court for quashing the FIRs lodged against him in Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Muzaffarnagar, Ghaziabad, and Hathras district of UP.
The bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and A S Bopanna took up the matter and admitted the vicious cycle of action against the journalist after the supreme court granted him bail in a case registered in Sitapur.
“What seems to be happening is, as he gets bail in one case, he is remanded in another. This vicious cycle is continuing, “Justice Chandrachud remarked.
“We direct registry to list this case on July 20, 2022. In the meantime, no precipitate steps shall be taken against petitioner in connection with any of the 5 FIRs be taken without the leave of this court. Issue notice. Requested Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to assist the court in this matter,” the bench said in its order.
Today morning, Chief Justice N V Ramana took note of the submissions of Zubair’s counsel Vrinda Grover that the petitioner, a fact checker, and journalist, has been facing a slew of FIRs and his plea needed an urgent hearing.
“There is a slew of FIRs against him. As soon as he gets bail in one case, he is arrested in another. As we speak he is arrested again,” Grover said.
The CJI asked her to mention the matter before Justice DY Chandrachud.
Zubair had sought interim bail for all six cases lodged by the UP police, including two in Hathras and others in Muzaffarnagar, Ghaziabad, and Lakhimpur Kheri and Sitapur.
The case in Sitapur was registered for calling out Hindutva leaders – Mahant Bajrang Muni, Yati Narsinghanand and Swami Anand Swaroop – as ‘hatemongers’.
On July 12, the Supreme court had granted interim bail connection with the Sitapur case. The final disposal is scheduled to be heard on September 7.
Currently, Zubair is currently in judicial custody in Lakhimpur Kheri in connection with a September 2021 case where Sudarshan TV news anchor filed an FIR accusing Zubair of promoting communal tension. The journalist had pointed out a news report relating to the Israel-Palestine dispute in which the channel used images of Al-Masjid an-Nabawi from Madina and superimposed it on an old picture from Gaza, bombing the mosque.
Zubair has also been booked by the Delhi Police in another case for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through his tweet in 2018 that contains a screenshot of a 1983 Bollywood movie, Kissi Se Na Kehna.
The Delhi Patiala House Court granted bail on July 15.
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Rabia Shireen is a Staff Reporter at The Cognate.
