Mohammed Zubair, Alt News co-founder, gets interim bail for five days in UP case

A vacation bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justices Indira Banerjee and JK Maheshari issued notice on Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair`s plea and listed it for further hearing before a regular bench.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday granted five-day interim bail to Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair in connection with an FIR lodged in the Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh for allegedly outraging religious sentiments. A vacation bench of Justices Indira Banerjee and JK Maheshari issued notice on Zubair's plea and listed it for further hearing before a regular bench.

It clarified that its interim bail order is with respect to the FIR lodged in Sitapur and has nothing to do with a case registered against him in Delhi. The bench restrained Zubair from posting anything on Twitter with regard to the case and asked him not to leave the jurisdiction of Delhi.

An FIR was lodged against Zubair in Uttar Pradesh under IPC section 295A (deliberate and malicious act intended to outrage religious feelings) and section 67 of the IT Act here on a complaint by Hindu Sher Sena Sitapur district president Bhagwan Sharan on June 1.

Zubair was arrested by the Delhi Police on June 27 for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through one of his tweets.