Fact-checker Mohammed Zubair granted bail by Supreme Court in all FIRs lodged against him in Uttar Pradesh

Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair has been granted bail by the Supreme Court.

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday (July 20) granted bail to Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair in all the six cases registered against him in Uttar Pradesh for his alleged derogatory tweets, PTI reported. A bench comprising Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant and AS Bopanna said fact-checker Zubair will be released on bail subject to furnishing of a bail bond of Rs 20,000 with Chief Metropolitan Magistrate at Patiala House Court, New Delhi. The apex court also clubbed all the six FIRs registered against Zubair in UP and transferred them to Delhi Police Special Cell. The transfer of the FIRs will apply to all existing FIRs and to all future cases that may be registered on the issue, the SC added. 

Further, the top court also disbanded the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Uttar Pradesh government to probe the FIRs against Zubair. The fact-checker can move the Delhi High Court to cancel all or any of the FIRs registered against him, the bench said.

Alt News co-founder had sought to quash of the all the FIRs registered against him for allegedly “outraging religious sentiments”.

On Monday, in a major relief to Zubair, the Supreme Court had directed that no "precipitative steps" should be taken against the fact-checker in the five cases registered in Uttar Pradesh. 

"In the meantime, we direct that no precipitative steps shall be taken against the petitioner (Zubair) in connection with any of the five FIRs, which have been extracted above (in the order), without the leave of this court," a bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and A S Bopanna was cited as saying by PTI. 

"What seems to be happening is the moment he got bail in Delhi, he got bail in Sitapur, the moment that happens, there is another FIR or he is produced in another FIR," the bench had said terming it a "vicious cycle".

Earlier on July 15, a Delhi court had granted bail to Zubair in a separate case lodged against him by the Delhi Police relating to an "objectionable tweet" he had posted in 2018 against a Hindu deity.

(With agency inputs)