The Allahabad high court on Friday granted interim protection from arrest to Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of fact-checking platform Alt News, until January 6.
A Bench of Justice Siddhartha Varma and Justice Nalin Srivastava said that no action be taken against Zubair till January 6, 2025 when the Court will hear the matter next.
The bench also directed the State to file a detailed response to Zubair's plea seeking protection from arrest in the case.
The court observed that Zubair is “not a dreaded criminal” and granted interim relief while directing him not to leave the country and to cooperate with the ongoing investigation.
Zubair is under investigation following an FIR lodged against him for his posts on X, regarding alleged inflammatory remarks made by Yati Narsinghanand, the priest of Dasna Devi Temple.
He was booked by the Uttar Pradesh Police for endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).