Alt-News co-founder Mohammed Zubair’s plea contesting an FIR related to his tweet about Yati Narsinghanand was mistakenly scheduled before a bench led by Justice MC Tripathi, who had recused himself from the case on December 3. Zubair’s legal team promptly informed the court Registry about the error. The matter will now be reassigned to a different bench for hearing. This development has drawn attention to the judicial process and media freedom concerns in India.
Alt-News co-founder Mohammed Zubair, filed a Petition contesting an FIR filed against him regarding a post on ‘X’ about #YatiNarsinghanand, has been ‘incorrectly’ scheduled today before a bench headed by Justice MC Tripathi, who had recused himself from the case on December 3.
Zubair’s legal team notified the Registry of this mistake, and the matter will be reassigned to a different bench.
A bench of Justices Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Prashant Kumar at the Allahabad High Court recused itself from hearing a plea filed by Alt News journalist and fact-checker Mohammed Zubair, who is seeking protection from arrest in a case initiated by supporters of Yati Narsinghanand, the priest of Ghaziabad’s Dasna Devi Temple.
The bench instructed that the matter be assigned to another panel.
During a prior hearing, the investigating officer informed the court that the FIR against Zubair includes allegations of endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India, as outlined in Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). This FIR lodged following a complaint from supporters of Narsinghanand, triggered by a tweet Zubair posted on X.
On September 29, Narsinghanand, who has faced previous charges for hate speech, allegedly made derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad during a public speech. Zubair responded on X, labeling the speech as “derogatory and hateful.”
In the aftermath, multiple FIRs filed against Narsinghanand across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Telangana for inciting communal hatred. His aides claimed he was taken away by police, although the Ghaziabad Police denied this.
Protests erupted at the Dasna Devi Temple following these events. The FIR against Zubair initiated by Udita Tyagi, General Secretary of the Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati Foundation, who accused Zubair of inciting violence by sharing an old video of Narsinghanand.
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Tyagi’s complaint also implicated Zubair, Arshad Madani, and Asaduddin Owaisi for the violent protests at Dasna Devi Mandi. The Ghaziabad Police subsequently charged Zubair under several sections of the BNS, including Sections 196 (promoting enmity on religious grounds), 228 (fabricating false evidence), 299 (outraging religious feelings), 356(3) (defamation), and 351(2) (criminal intimidation). The charge under Section 152 was added later.
In his plea to the High Court, Zubair contended that his tweet aimed to highlight Narsinghanand’s recurring communal remarks and derogatory comments about women and politicians.
He described the FIR against him as a “malicious attempt” to hinder his efforts to expose Narsinghanand’s alleged criminal activities.