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'X' Posts Case | 'Police Took Action Against Narsinghanand; Zubair Built Narrative, Tried To Incite People': UP Govt In Allahabad HC
LIVELAW NEWS NETWORK
18 Feb 2025 8:24 AM
Opposing Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair's plea against UP police's FIR over his alleged 'X' Post (formerly Twitter) on Yati Narsinghanand's 'derogatory' speech, the Uttar Pradesh government submitted today in the Allahabad High Court that the state police had taken action against Narsinghanand, and it was the courts which granted him bail. The government, led by Additional Advocate...
Opposing Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair's plea against UP police's FIR over his alleged 'X' Post (formerly Twitter) on Yati Narsinghanand's 'derogatory' speech, the Uttar Pradesh government submitted today in the Allahabad High Court that the state police had taken action against Narsinghanand, and it was the courts which granted him bail.
The government, led by Additional Advocate General Manish Goyal stated that Zubair had created a narrative through his X posts and attempted to incite the public. He also questioned the timing of Zubair's 'X' posts as he argued that the fact checker had added fuel to the fire.
"He says that no arrest was made, and weak sections were invoked against Yati Narsinghanand, but it is not so...so to say that the police are not doing their job, and it was his (Zubair's) duty is wrong...police were doing their job, and it was the court granting him (Yati) bail," Goyal submitted before a bench of Justice Siddhartha Varma and Justice Yogendra Kumar Srivastava.
Goyal also pointed out that the date of Yati' Narsinghanand's speech was 29th September, and the date of Zubair's 'X' Posts is 3rd October, which shows his men's rea as he posted on his 'X' account, 4 days after the incident and not immediately.
Goyal also argued that while Zubair himself stated that Yati was arrested in 8 FIRs, he, however, tried to portray on 'X' that the UP Police was siding with Yati and was filing FIRs against him under weak sections, but it wasn't the case.
"All this has to be seen in the light of the mentality of a common Indian. What narrative is being shown? What will an Indian man think?...1st is regarding the deliberate intention of making the news. 2nd is claiming himself to a renowned global fact checker 3rd is regarding how it will be perceived by a common man...you are fully conscious and disseminating the information that the police are siding with this person and filing an FIR under weak sections.. whereas the FIRs have not been lodged under weak sections. There have been arrests which you have not disclosed", Goyal Submitted.
The bench has risen for lunch, and the hearing will resume afterwards.
For the uninitiated, Zubair is facing an FIR lodged by the Ghaziabad Police in October 2024, accusing him of promoting enmity among religious groups following a complaint by an associate of controversial priest Yati Narsinghanand. Zubair has moved the HC, challenging the FIR, under which the offence of Section 152 BNS [Act endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India] was added later on.
Before the High Court, his counsel vehemently argued that no sections, including Section 152 BNS, were made out against Zubair as his posts lacked intention, as alleged in the FIR.
He also submitted that no content of his posts was beyond his right to speech and expression and that he was merely asking the police authorities as to what action is contemplated against the maker of the alleged 'derogatory' speech pursuant to the lodging of the FIR.
More details of Zubair's arguments here: Yati Narsinghanand Case | Posted On 'X' As Part Of My Professional Obligation, No Offence Committed Under BNS/IPC: Mohd Zubair To Allahabad HC
It is Zubair's case that by posting a thread of videos on October 3 featuring Yati Narsinghanand's allegedly 'inflammatory' remarks about Prophet Mohammad, and later sharing other tweets with his various controversial speeches, Zubair aimed to highlight Narsinghanand's provocative statements and urge the police authorities to take strict action against him.
The complainant, Udita Tyagi, on the other hand, blamed Zubair for sharing Yati's old video clips with the intent of inciting violence by Muslims. She also alleges that due to Zubair's tweets, violent protests were held at Dasna Devi Mandir in Ghaziabad.
Extending the stay on the arrest of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair until February 18, in this case, yesterday; the High Court had asked the complainant's counsel if a citizen's act of expressing dissatisfaction with the state's actions could be considered a subversive activity under Section 152 BNS.
More details here : Narsinghanand Case | Can A Citizen's Dissatisfaction With State Action Be Considered 'Subversive' Activity? : Asks Allahabad HC On Zubair's Plea