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Synopsis

The Ghaziabad Police informed the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday that it has added new charges against Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair, accusing him of "endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India."

This additional charge, under Section 152 of the BNS, a non-bailable offence, was incorporated into an FIR filed on October 8. Section 66 of the Information Technology Act has also been added.

The High Court is seized with Zubair’s petition seeking quashing of the October 8 FIR. The FIR was lodged following a complaint by Udita Tyagi, general secretary of the Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati Trust.

Tyagi accused Zubair of sharing a video clip of an old program featuring Narsinghanand on October 3, alleging that the post incited violence among Muslims against the controversial priest.

The original FIR included charges under various sections of the BNS, including 196 (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 228 (fabricating false evidence), 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 356(3) (defamation), and 351(2) (punishment for criminal intimidation).

The police's decision to add the sedition-like charge has drawn fresh attention to the case. Notably, the initial charges against Mohammed Zubair carried prison terms of less than seven years, eliminating the need for immediate arrest. However, the subsequent Section 152 of the BNS is a non-bailable offence.

The High Court, on November 25, had directed the investigating officer to file an affidavit detailing the charges against Zubair. In compliance, the IO submitted an affidavit on Wednesday, informing the division bench of Justices Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Prashant Kumar about the newly added sections in the FIR.

Court permitted the amendment and set the next hearing for December 3.

Case Title: Mohammed Zubair vs. State of Uttar Pradesh and 3 Others