He has emerged as a real hero and now can continue to walk the talk. At last, Supreme Court became the watchdog of democracy. SC has been able to hear the voice of a journalist Mohammed Zubair (a Muslim) who was arrested merely for sharing an image of a Bollywood film on Twitter back in 2018.
Finally, we could see that SC has been able to remain a watchdog of the political happenings in a democracy. Thanks to the Supreme Court. Let Supreme Court remain a constitutional watchdog.
Mohammed Zubair has been granted bail in the below mentioned cases:
1) All six UP Police FIRs 2) UP Police FIRs clubbed and sent to Delhi. 3) Bail on Future FIRs that was registered on the same subject matter 4) UP SIT disbanded
The Supreme Court also said that Zubair will be at liberty to seek quashing of the FIRs against him before the Delhi High Court.
This is indeed a very important order by the Supreme Court of India. For, SC found no reason or justification to keep him in continued custody any further and subject him to diverse proceedings when the gravamen of allegations arises from the tweets which is part of Delhi police investigation.
The order of SC thus prevented the state authorities for keeping him in jail for another week before implementing the bail order and even halted all criminal proceedings against Mohammed Zubair.
Mohammed Zubair was arrested on June 27 by Delhi Police. Seven more FIRs were filed against him in Uttar Pradesh.
Even we can see co-founder of fact-check website Alt News Mohammed Zubair’s bail on subject to furnishing Rs 20,000 bonds is a good slap on the rage of Bhakts against the journalist. It is shame to tell how bigoted Bhakts become a rage when they only see every issue through a Hindu versus Muslim prism?
The biggest lawyers of the government, the biggest leaders of the government, the entire department, the entire group of devotees on social media, or rather, the entire government together could not explain the reason for keeping Mohammed Zubair in jail.
Alt news co founder @zoo_bear released from Tihar jail @ndtv pic.twitter.com/dSANO7t3ja— Saurabh shukla (@Saurabh_Unmute) July 20, 2022
Alt news co founder @zoo_bear released from Tihar jail @ndtv pic.twitter.com/dSANO7t3ja
What is funnier than the fact that co-founders of fact-check website Alt News being arrested over a four-year-old tweet sharing a screenshot from a popular Hindi movie!!!
Incidentally, just days before the arrest, he had drawn attention to an incendiary comment on Islam and Muslims by suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma during a TV debate.
The judges also rejected the Uttar Pradesh government's request that Mohammed Zubair is "stopped from putting out tweets".
Justice DY Chandrachud commenting on the UP govt counsel's plea said:
"It's like telling a lawyer to not argue any further. How can you tell a journalist that he cannot write? If he does something that violates the law, then he is answerable to the law. But how can we take anticipatory action against a citizen when he is raising his voice? Every citizen is answerable for what he does in public or private. We will not place any such order."
The courts now should make police accountable for arresting a person without a just reason. Police should learn a lesson. If police wrongfully arrest a person, it is time for the court to penalize police.
Will now the court draw a line on such wrong arrests? Why Zubair was arrested at midnight? Even local magistrates should have asked the police why they arrested him?
Will now the court draw a line on such wrong arrests?
Why Zubair was arrested at midnight? Even local magistrates should have asked the police why they arrested him?
The judges said the power to arrest does exist but must be used sparingly. The message given by SC is clear. India must not become a police state. The message has been repeatedly made clear by SC but the message just doesn't percolate.
To sum up, Zubair should never have been jailed in the first place. Wish, many Muslim journalists will now stand up and stay fearless and continue to speak truth to the power.
One (Zubair) just tweeted his thoughts on the precious rights of liberty and freedom, why then so much discrimination against a Muslim versus a Hindu?
This is the victory of freedom over oppression. Hope SC will release all other Zubairs too and put an end to such a vicious cycle of hatred among Muslims, and other people too.
[Pradip Bhattacharya is a Chennai based journalist. Views expressed here are personal]
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