Alt News’ Zubair shares video of Narsinghanand convicted for threatening India’s sovereignty

Mohammed Zubair, the co-founder of Alt News, was booked under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which criminalizes acts that threaten the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India. This information was transferred to the Allahabad High Court on November 27. The FIR, originally filed on October 8 by the Ghaziabad police, is based on a complaint by Udita Tyagi, general secretary of the Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati Trust.

Zubair posted a series of videos on October 3. The first tweet included a video showing Yati Narsinghanand, a priest at the Dasna Devi temple, making inflammatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad at an event in Ghaziabad on September 29. The cleric, known for his hate speech, called on people to burn effigies of the Prophet, sparking protests from Muslim communities across Uttar Pradesh, which demanded strict action.

In his second tweet on the thread, Zubair wrote, “For the people who support Yati Narsinghananda. Here is a video of Yathi Narsinghan and Saraswati Maharaj’s disgusting comments about women in politics, especially BJP women leaders in politics (2021).” Along with this tweet, Zubair posted a video of Yati disparaging women politicians.

The thread also had another video from 2022 where Yathi Narsinghanand made derogatory remarks about Prithviraj Chavan.

While Zubair highlighted Yati Narsinghanand’s earlier controversial speeches, Uditha Tyagi claimed that the old videos were circulated to incite violence by Muslims. The complaint accused Zubair, along with Arshad Madani and Asaduddin Owaisi, of leading violent protests at Dasna Devi Mandi.

The original FIR against Zubair, based on Uditha’s complaint, charged him under several sections of the BNS, including section 196 (inciting enmity between groups on religious grounds), section 228 (fabrication of false evidence), section 299 (hurting religious sentiments), section 356( 3) (defamation) and section 351(2) (criminal intimidation). Subsequently, Zubair filed an application in the High Court challenging the FIR and seeking protection from arrest.

On November 25, the Supreme Court ordered the investigator to submit an affidavit clearly specifying the charges against Zubair. During the proceedings on November 27, an investigator filed an affidavit indicating that Section 66 of the Information Technology Act and Section 152 of the BNS had been added to the case.

Zubair’s statement claimed that his social media post was merely intended to inform the authorities of Narsinghanand’s claims and call for legal action. He argues that this cannot be interpreted as promoting disharmony or violence.

Zubair also contested the defamation charge, arguing that sharing public videos of Narsinghanand’s comments did not constitute defamation. He stressed that Narsinghanand was already out on bail in a separate hate speech case, with conditions barring him from making statements that could inflame society. Zubair further alleged that the FIR was a malicious attempt to silence him for exposing the alleged criminal activities of Yati Narsinghanand, citing the complainant’s own admission to X that the FIR was a “publicity stunt”. He even noted that the complainant thanked the follower for praising the tactic.

The High Court allowed the FIR to be amended and the next hearing of the case is scheduled for December 3.

Alt News issued a statement condemning the new allegations. The news portal said in a statement: “Critics have long warned that the provision could be used as a weapon to suppress dissent and target voices critical of those in power, just as sedition laws have been abused in the past. Zubair’s case is a vivid example of how these fears are becoming reality. This affidavit is yet another example of how the state machinery is being used to intimidate individuals and organizations seeking to expose hate and misinformation.”

It added that they would support Zubair against “relentless legal intimidation” and called on “supporters of free speech, independent journalism and fact-checking” to also support them.