Prayagraj: Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair has filed a writ petition in the Allahabad High Court, seeking to quash an FIR lodged against him by the Ghaziabad Police. The FIR accuses Zubair of promoting enmity between religious groups based on a complaint from Udita Tyagi, general secretary of the Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati Trust, associated with the controversial priest Yati Narsinghanand.
The complaint alleges that Zubair posted a video clip on October 3, 2024, featuring Narsinghanand’s inflammatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, with the intent to incite violence. Tyagi claims that Zubair’s “edited post” on X, calling the speech “derogatory,” aimed to provoke radical sentiments among Muslims. Zubair has been charged under several sections of the BNS, including those relating to promoting enmity (Section 196), malicious acts to outrage religious feelings (Section 299), and criminal intimidation (Section 351(2)). In his petition, Zubair asserts that his post was intended to alert authorities to Narsinghanand’s repeated hate speech and request legal action, emphasising that it does not incite violence or promote disharmony.
The plea further highlights that Narsinghanand, at the time of making the alleged remarks, was out on bail in another hate speech case, with conditions explicitly barring him from making communal statements. Despite this, his speeches have continued to target religious figures and scriptures. The writ petition requests protection from coercive action and the quashing of charges. The matter is expected to be heard by a division bench next week. A related PIL seeking to restrain Narsinghanand from making derogatory statements against Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the Quran remains pending before the court.
