A bench of Justices Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Prashant Kumar at the Allahabad High Court recused themselves on Tuesday from hearing a plea by Alt News journalist Mohammed Zubair, who is seeking protection against an arrest in a case related to a tweet about Yati Narsinghanand, a priest known for his controversial statements.
The case stems from an FIR lodged by supporters of Narsinghanand, alleging that Zubair’s tweet endangered India’s sovereignty, unity, and integrity, under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The FIR was a reaction to Zubair’s criticism on X (formerly Twitter) of remarks made by Narsinghanand that were derogatory towards Prophet Muhammad. Narsinghanand, who has been previously accused in several cases of hate speech, triggered multiple FIRs against himself across states including Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Telangana for inciting communal hatred.
In response to these allegations, supporters of Narsinghanand initiated legal action against Zubair, leading to his plea for judicial protection. Udita Tyagi, General Secretary of the Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati Foundation, accused Zubair in her complaint of inciting violence through an old video of Narsinghanand, implicating him along with public figures Arshad Madani and Asaduddin Owaisi in violent protests at Dasna Devi Temple.
Zubair, through his legal representation, argued that his social media post was an attempt to highlight Narsinghanand’s history of inflammatory remarks against various communities, including derogatory comments about women and politicians. He described the FIR as a “malicious attempt” to obstruct his journalistic efforts to expose the priest’s actions.
The Ghaziabad Police have charged Zubair under several sections of the BNS, adding allegations of promoting religious enmity, fabricating evidence, and criminal intimidation to the charges.
