New Delhi
\nMore than two years after the Supreme Court granted bail and ordered the \u201cimmediate release\u201d of journalist Mohammed Zubair, the co-founder of AltNews, he is once again in court facing serious charges.
\nOn Tuesday, the Allahabad High Court briefly heard a fresh petition filed by Zubair, as police in Uttar Pradesh seek his arrest over accusations of \u201cendangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India.\u201d
\nThe charge, which is non-bailable, carries the potential for a minimum sentence of seven years in prison, a fine, or even life imprisonment. Zubair, 41, denies the allegations, maintaining that he is being targeted for his work. \u201cI feel I\u2019m being targeted because of the work I do,\u201d he told the BBC.
\nThe case stems from a post Zubair shared on X (formerly Twitter) on October 3, which spotlighted a video of a controversial Hindu priest, Yati Narsinghanand, making inflammatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad.
\nThe video sparked protests by Muslims outside Narsinghanand\u2019s Dasna Devi temple in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. The priest, notorious for his anti-Muslim rhetoric, had previously been jailed in 2022 for making similar Islamophobic remarks.
\nZubair\u2019s post, which exposed the priest\u2019s comments, led to a complaint lodged by Uditya Tyagi, a politician affiliated with India\u2019s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In his initial complaint, Tyagi accused Zubair of promoting religious enmity, defamation, and providing false evidence.
\nHowever, last week, police added a far more serious charge under Section 152 of India\u2019s new criminal code, alleging that Zubair\u2019s actions \u201cendangered the sovereignty, unity, and integrity\u201d of the country.
\nThis legal development has raised alarm among rights groups, journalists, and legal experts.
\nSection 152 is seen as a particularly harsh provision, reminiscent of colonial-era sedition laws, and critics argue that it is being used to silence dissenting voices.
\nAmnesty International India condemned the move, saying the case was part of a broader trend of harassing journalists and activists for peacefully exercising their right to free expression.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a classic case of shooting the messenger. It\u2019s a witch-hunt,\u201d said Pratik Sinha, Zubair\u2019s colleague and fellow co-founder of AltNews.
\nZubair\u2019s supporters argue that he is being persecuted for his critical reporting on hate crimes and the government\u2019s actions. Zubair himself pointed out that many others, including journalists and political figures, had shared the same video of Narsinghanand\u2019s speech, yet he was being singled out.
\nThe Press Club of India also condemned the charges, describing them as an \u201cunfounded\u201d and \u201cvindictive\u201d overreach by state authorities. \u201cThis has the potential to silence free thinkers and media,\u201d it stated in a statement.
\nZubair, who had previously spent over three weeks in jail in 2022 after being arrested over a tweet that criticised the BJP\u2019s Nupur Sharma, remains steadfast in his defence. His legal team has sought interim bail and requested that the charges be dismissed.
\nThis latest development comes amid mounting concerns over press freedom in India, which has seen a decline in global rankings. India now ranks 159th out of 180 countries in the 2023 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders, down from 140th in 2022.
\nZubair\u2019s case is the latest in a series of high-profile legal challenges faced by journalists in India. Critics argue that the government is using the legal system to target independent media, while Zubair and his supporters remain committed to holding authorities to account.
\n\u201cJournalists critical of the government are routinely subjected to harassment, threats, and arrests,\u201d said a spokesperson for Reporters Without Borders. \u201cZubair\u2019s case is a worrying example of this trend.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New Delhi More than two years after the Supreme Court granted bail and ordered the \u201cimmediate release\u201d of journalist Mohammed Zubair, the co-founder of AltNews, he is once again in court facing serious charges. On Tuesday, the Allahabad High Court briefly heard a fresh petition filed by Zubair, as police in Uttar Pradesh seek his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":447484,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-447449","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n