Read Time: 06 minutes

Synopsis

The Delhi High Court, on Thursday, directed a man named Jagdish Singh to issue an apology on X Corp, formerly known as Twitter, for posting an ‘offensive tweet’ against Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of Alt News, in 2020, where Singh referred to Zubair as a ‘jihadi’.

The bench of Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani ordered Singh to post the apology on his Twitter account within a week, which must remain visible for at least two months. The apology was to include the statement: “I regret making the above comment which was not made with any malice or intention to hurt or offend Mohammed Zubair”. 

The controversial tweet by Singh, made on April 18, 2020, accused Zubair of being a ‘jihadi’ and followed Singh's complaint that Zubair had caused cyber sexual harassment of Singh's granddaughter. The court dismissed Zubair’s petition seeking to quash an FIR filed against him under the POCSO Act, noting that he was already exonerated in the matter. 

Singh's counsel informed the court that Singh was willing to post the apology on his Twitter handle. The court, in response, instructed Singh to provide context for the offending tweet in his apology. The court also clarified that Singh retained the right to pursue legal remedies in the ongoing trial court proceedings.

Zubair's counsel assured the court that once Singh complied with the order, Zubair would not pursue further legal action regarding the issue. The Delhi Police informed the court that Singh had recently given a statement acknowledging that his comment was made without malice and was not intended to harm or offend Zubair. 

Given Singh's statement, the Investigating Officer deferred to the court's discretion for appropriate orders. The court remarked that if Singh had expressed regret, he should atone by posting the apology on the same platform. The court further noted that Singh had used unfortunate language in his tweet and should rectify it publicly.

Earlier this year, the Delhi Police submitted a status report indicating that no case had been registered against Singh for his comment. This response followed the court's previous admonishment of the police for not taking action against Singh. The case stemmed from a tweet by Zubair, where he questioned the appropriateness of using derogatory language while featuring a profile picture with a minor. Zubair had blurred the minor's face in the post.

In May 2023, the high court questioned the Delhi Police regarding the actions taken against a Twitter user who allegedly posted an offensive tweet about Mohammad Zubair, which led to an FIR being filed against Zubair under the POCSO Act. The court criticized the police for their aggressive approach against Zubair, noting that the case had ultimately been dismissed due to a lack of evidence, and asked what action had been taken against the Twitter user responsible for the tweet.