Latest news with #Narsinghanand
Scroll.in
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Rush Hour: HC refuses to quash FIR against Mohammed Zubair, SC criticises ED in Tasmac case and more
We're building a brand-new studio to bring you bold ground reports, sharp interviews, hard-hitting podcasts, explainers and more. Support Scroll's studio fund today. The Allahabad High Court has refused to quash a first information report against Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair in a case related to a social media post about Hindutva supremacist Yati Narsinghanand. The bench, however, permitted the interim protection from arrest granted to Zubair in December to continue till the filing of the chargesheet in the case. The Alt News co-founder was booked on October 7 for allegedly promoting enmity between religious groups with a post about Narsinghanand. The priest of the Dasna Devi temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, Narsinghanand reportedly made a derogatory comment about Prophet Muhammad during a lecture on September 29, sparking protests by Muslim groups in several cities. On October 3, Zubair had shared a purported video of the speech on the social media platform X and demanded legal action against Narsinghanand. Read on All foreign nationals staying illegally in India, whether from Bangladesh or any other country, will be dealt as per law, New Delhi has said. This came amid reports that Indian authorities had forced persons, including Rohingya refugees and at least three individuals alleged to be Indians, into Bangladesh and Myanmar. India's Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that there were more than 2,360 cases of persons 'required to be deported'. Many among them have already served their jail terms, but their deportation has been delayed because their nationality verification has been pending since 2020, he said. Jaiswal urged Bangladesh to expedite the verification process. Stating that the Enforcement Directorate was 'crossing all limits', the Supreme Court has stayed its money laundering investigation against the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation. Hearing a petition by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led Tamil Nadu government and Tasmac, the bench said the central agency was violating the federal structure of the country. Tasmac is a government-owned company that has a monopoly over the wholesale and retail sales of alcoholic beverages in Tamil Nadu. The ED has alleged that Tasmac is at the centre of a Rs 1,000-crore corruption network involving state officials, liquor distilleries and bottling companies. The state government and the company have challenged the Madras High Court's order in April, which dismissed their plea against ED searches at the liquor corporation's headquarters. On Thursday, the bench questioned how the central agency could initiate a case against a corporation. Read on. Pakistan has directed an official at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad to leave the country within 24 hours. This came a day after India declared a Pakistani High Commission official in New Delhi persona non grata for allegedly 'engaging in activities inconsistent with his diplomatic role'. In diplomatic parlance, an official declared persona non-grata is deemed unwelcome by the host country. This marked the second such expulsion by India and Pakistan within a week amid heightened tensions following cross-border firings.
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Business Standard
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
HC refuses to quash FIR against Mohammed Zubair, extends arrest protection
The Allahabad High Court on Thursday refused to quash the first information report (FIR) filed against Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair for a social media post criticising Hindu priest Yati Narsinghanand. However, it extended Zubair's interim protection from arrest—first granted in December 2024—until a chargesheet is filed, Bar and Bench reported. A division bench of Justices Siddhartha Varma and Yogendra Kumar Srivastav directed Zubair to continue cooperating with the investigation. The court rejected his plea to quash the FIR, which stems from an October 2024 complaint by Udita Tyagi, General Secretary of the Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati Foundation. Tyagi alleged that Zubair's post on X incited violence by sharing an old video of a controversial speech delivered by Narsinghanand. Charges against Zubair The Ghaziabad Police FIR invokes multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including charges for: Promoting enmity between religious groups Criminal intimidation Endangering the sovereignty and integrity of India (under Section 152) Tyagi's complaint links Zubair's post to protests that occurred outside the Dasna Devi Temple, where Narsinghanand had been taken into custody after making inflammatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad in a September 2024 speech. Zubair has denied the allegations, telling the court his post was intended to highlight repeated hate speech by Narsinghanand—not incite violence. He called the FIR a retaliatory move designed to silence his journalistic work. Context: Previous arrests and legal battles The case has drawn widespread attention, adding to the growing legal scrutiny surrounding Zubair's online activity. In 2022, the Supreme Court granted Zubair bail in several FIRs filed across Uttar Pradesh, and ordered the disbanding of a state-level Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up to probe similar accusations linked to his social media posts. The Allahabad High Court has, in past hearings, criticised Zubair for sharing alleged hate speech on social media rather than formally reporting it, warning that such actions could inflame communal tensions. Despite these warnings, the present case marks a new legal challenge under the BNS, the country's recently enacted criminal code, adding a fresh layer to the debate over digital journalism and freedom of expression in India.
Scroll.in
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Allahabad HC refuses to quash FIR against Mohammed Zubair in Narsinghanand case
The Allahabad High Court on Thursday refused to quash a first information report against Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair in a case pertaining to a post on the social media platform X about Hindutva supremacist Yati Narsinghanand, reported Bar and Bench. A bench of Justices Siddhartha Varma and Yogendra Kumar Srivastav also extended the interim protection from arrest granted to Zubair in December till the filing of the chargesheet in the case. The Alt News co-founder was directed to cooperate with the investigation in the meantime, according to Bar and Bench. Zubair was booked on October 7 for allegedly promoting enmity between religious groups with a post about Narsinghanand. Narsinghanand, who is the priest of the Dasna Devi temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, reportedly made a derogatory comment about Prophet Muhammad during a lecture on September 29, sparking protests by Muslim groups in several cities. On October 3, Zubair had shared a purported video of the speech on X and demanded legal action against Narsinghanand. Several first information reports have also been filed against Narsinghanand for alleged hate speech targeting Muslims. Zubair had moved the court seeking protection from arrest following the registration of the FIR against him. He also sought the quashing of the FIR.
