Mohammed Zubair, a prominent fact-checker and co-founder of AltNews, finds himself back in the courtroom over two years after the Supreme Court ordered his release from prison. The Allahabad High Court is slated to hear his petition as the Uttar Pradesh police seek to arrest him, citing accusations of “endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.” This serious charge is non-bailable and could result in seven years to life imprisonment if convicted.
Zubair categorically denies the allegations, emphasizing that he feels targeted for his work on hate speech and misinformation. He described the situation as an attempt to silence those who challenge government narratives, stating that he was merely drawing attention to hateful comments made by controversial Hindu priest Yati Narsinghanand. The priest had recently made inflammatory comments against Prophet Muhammad, provoking protests outside his temple.
Zubair’s post, which highlighted the priest's remarks, went viral on October 3rd, leading to arrests of protestors and scrutiny of Narsinghanand. Following public outcry, political tensions escalated, culminating in complaints against Zubair from the priest's followers and complaints from local BJP politician Uditya Tyagi. Initially facing less severe charges, Zubair’s case recently intensified with the addition of Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, a clause legal experts say empowers police to detain him.
According to Zubair, the legal actions against him are indicative of a wider trend of escalating harassment aimed at journalists who hold the government to account. His colleague, Pratik Sinha, described this as a classic “shooting the messenger” scenario, where investigations target Zubair rather than addressing the hate speech he reports on. Human rights organizations and media advocacy groups have condemned the increased criminalization of Zubair’s work, calling the legal maneuvering a form of intimidation against free speech.
This isn’t Zubair’s first brush with legal trouble; he previously faced accusations leading to three weeks in custody over a 2018 tweet. Detractors, including BJP official Gaurav Bhatia, claimed Zubair's fact-checking practices exhibit bias, with past instances linking his challenges to other inflammatory remarks from public figures like Nupur Sharma.
International bodies, including the UN, have expressed concern over Zubair’s situation, echoing fears regarding India’s declining press freedoms. Amid rising hostility toward journalists, India now ranks 159 out of 180 on global press freedom indices, with critics asserting increasing governmental suppression against those who report contrary narratives. The unfolding story around Zubair highlights crucial debates about journalism and accountability within a tense political climate.
