Pranav Shukla
Allahabad High Court Informed of Mohammed Zubair’s Booking for Threatening India’s Sovereignty and Unity in Connection with Islamist Attack on Dasna Devi Temple on 27 November, 2024.
Mohammed Zubair, founder of the fact-checking website Alt News, has been booked under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to actions endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India. The case stems from a First Information Report (FIR) lodged by supporters of Yati Narsinghanand, a priest of the Dasna Devi Temple in Ghaziabad, alleging that Zubair’s tweet on the social media platform X (Twitter) incited unrest. The complaint states that the tweet led to a mob of Islamists gathering at the temple.
Zubair, who has previously been criticized for allegedly instigating targeted campaigns against individuals, including former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, filed a petition before the Allahabad High Court seeking protection from arrest in connection with the FIR.
The complaint was filed by BJP leader Dr. Udita Tyagi on October 7 at the Web City police station in Ghaziabad. The complaint followed the October 5 incident where a mob of Islamists allegedly tried to besiege the Shiv Shakti Dham temple after a video shared by Zubair went viral online.
On October 2023, an FIR was registered against Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair in connection with an attack on the Dasna Devi Temple in Ghaziabad. The FIR accused Zubair, along with two other Muslim leaders—Arshad Madani and Asaduddin Owaisi—of attempting to incite Muslims across the country and encouraging local Muslims to bring in outsiders to target and destroy the Shiv Shakti Dham temple in Dasna.
On November 25, 2023, the Allahabad High Court heard the matter and issued a direction to the investigating officer. The Court ordered the officer to file an affidavit detailing the specific legal provisions under which the charges against Zubair were framed. This affidavit is to be submitted before the next hearing.
The High Court has permitted amendments to the case and has scheduled the next hearing for December.
Bench – Justices Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Prashant Kumar