Delhi HC to hear AltNews co-founder’s plea to quash FIR for ‘harassment’

On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court will hear a petition filed by fact-checker and AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair, seeking quashing of the FIR registered against him by Delhi Police.

Zubair was booked last week by Delhi Police’s Cyber Cell on a complaint from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) for allegedly “threatening and torturing a girl child through Twitter”.

In the petition, filed through advocate Gunjan Singh, Zubair has sought a direction from the court for a copy of the FIR to be shared with him, as also a stay on any coercive action in the matter. He has sought costs to the tune of Rs 50 Lakh for harassing and defaming him, and action against NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo.

The complaints sent by NCPCR to the police had referred to a tweet shared by Zubair on August 6, which had the photo of a minor girl, with her face blurred out, during an online spat he was having with a Twitter user — the picture in question was the user’s display picture.

Submitting that the allegations against him are false, Zubair has said no offence is made out in the matter. “The petitioner merely shared an image of [the Twitter used] standing with a minor girl, whose face was pixelated, and calling [the Twitter user] out on his foul, shameful and abusive behaviour on social media,” the petition stated. Zubair has stated that a copy of FIR was not given to him.

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