New Delhi, January 5, (PTI), The Delhi Police informed the High Court on Thursday that they have not found any criminality against Mohammad Zubair, Alt News founder and fact-checking website Alt News’s co-founder. He was being accused of threatening and torturing a minor via social media.
After taking note of the submissions made by the police department, the court ordered the probe agency to file the chargesheet in the case.
“Before proceeding further, let a copy of the chargesheet be filed before the next date of hearing,” Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani said.
The Delhi Police counsel informed the court that Zubair was not a criminal and that he has not been charged.
Additionally, the court asked police to provide a copy of their chargesheet to K M Natraj (Additional Solicitor General), who represents the complainant National Commission for Protection of Child Rights in this matter.
After the officer stated that he would continue to receive instructions, the court set the matter for March 2nd hearing.
The complaint by the NCPCR led to the Delhi Police filing an FIR against Zubair, which was filed on August 9, 2020 according to the Information Technology Act. Zubair is accused of torturing and threatening a girl via Twitter.
The NCPCR complaint was based on a picture of the girl with her father that Zubair shared via Twitter during an online dispute with the man.
The journalist sought to have the FIR against them quashed by the court.
The NCPCR has contended that the submission of the city police that no cognisable offence was made out against Zubair was “incorrect” and that the agency’s stand indicates the casual attitude of the authorities.
It had asked the court to order the Delhi Police to conduct an extensive investigation into the case and to conclude it on a priority basis.
The NCPCR has said re-tweeting of the girl’s picture contributed to the disclosure of her identity through her father, seriously jeopardised her safety and security and also exposed her to harassment on social media platforms like Twitter where lewd and disgraceful comments were published about her by the users.
“The comments made on the picture of the minor girl also included comments which were in the nature of sexual harassment and were seen to be in violation of the provisions of the POCSO Act, IPC and IT Act,” it said.
The commission also said even after knowing the fact that several comments were being made on his post against the girl, which were indecent and sexual in nature, Zubair neither tried to delete the tweet nor informed the authorities concerned about the users who had indulged in violating the girl’s rights.
In September 2020 the High Court had directed Delhi Police not take coercive actions against Zubair. It also ordered Twitter India to cooperate in the police investigation.
Zubair had refuted the allegation levelled against him in the FIR by describing it as “an absolutely frivolous complaint”.
His counsel had earlier submitted that Zubair was being trolled for his posts on Twitter by a man who abused and demeaned him and even left communally-charged comments on the scribe’s page on the microblogging website.
Zubair uploaded the display image of Zubair with his minor daughter. The petitioner had carefully blurred her face and posted it as a tweet. Following this, Zubair filed a complaint to the NCPCR. An FIR was also lodged. PTI SKV RC
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