Delhi High Court Demands Action Against Twitter User For Offensive Tweet About Alt-News Co-founder Zubair

The Delhi High Court has asked the Delhi Police to provide information on the action taken against a Twitter user who allegedly posted an offensive tweet about Mohammad Zubair, co-founder of the fact-checking website Alt-News. According to Bar And Bench, Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani questioned the police about the actions they have taken against the individual responsible for the tweet. The court granted a six-week period for the police to file a status report, and the matter is scheduled for further hearing on September 14.

Mohammad Zubair had filed a plea to quash an FIR (First Information Report) registered against him in 2020. The FIR accused Zubair of threatening and torturing a minor girl. According to Zubair's counsel, he was being trolled and subjected to abuse on Twitter by a man who also made communally charged comments on his page. In response, Zubair posted a picture of the man with his minor daughter, with the daughter's face blurred. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) filed a complaint against Zubair, stating that sharing the picture exposed the girl to harassment and violated her rights.

The Delhi Police informed the court that they did not find any criminality against Zubair in the case and his name was not included in the charge sheet. The police had lodged the FIR based on a complaint from the NCPCR. However, the NCPCR disagreed with the police's stance, claiming that Zubair's actions had jeopardized the girl's safety and led to lewd and disgraceful comments about her on social media.

In September 2020, the Delhi High Court had directed the police not to take any coercive steps against Zubair in the case and had instructed Twitter India to cooperate with the investigation.

(With PTI Inputs)