Supreme Court gives interim bail to Mohd Zubair in all cases
New Delhi, July 20: The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted interim bail to Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair in all seven FIRs registered against him in Uttar Pradesh. He will be released from the jail since he has already been granted regular bail in another case registered against him by the Delhi Police.
A three-Judge Bench led by Justice DY Chandrachud asked him to furnish a personal bond of Rs 20,000 before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Patiala House courts in the national capital. It directed the Tihar Jail superintendent to release him by 6pm.
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The Bench ordered clubbing of all seven FIRs registered against him in Uttar Pradesh with the one registered in Delhi and said the Special Cell of Delhi Police would conduct the investigation. The FIRs in UP were registered against Zubair at Hathras, Ghaziabad, Muzaffarnagar, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sitapur and Chandauli. The top court also ordered disbanding of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) by the Uttar Pradesh Police.
It also extended the benefit of interim bail to him in all such cases.
The Bench had on Monday restrained Uttar Pradesh Police from taking any precipitative steps against Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair without its permission in FIRs registered against him UP till July 20.
He was arrested by the Delhi Police on June 27 for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through his tweets.
Earlier, in the plea, Zubair said his personal liberty had been completely jeopardised without following the due procedure established by law and requested the court either to quash the six FIRs in UP or club all of them with the FIR at Delhi, where he was first arrested, to avoid multiplicity of proceedings and prolonged detention.
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The plea also challenged the constitution of a two-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) by the Uttar Pradesh Government. Zubair had also sought interim bail in all six FIRs.
-PTC News
