NEW DELHI: The lawyer of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair on Saturday expressed shock over a Delhi Police official "leaking" news to the media that the jailed accused in a case related to an "objectionable tweet" against a Hindu deity was denied bail and his judicial custody extended.
The controversy started when news of the rejection of the bail plea of fact-checker Zubair was being run, quoting the police as the source when the court was yet to pronounce its order for the plea.
"I am shocked to see that DCP KPS Malhotra has leaked in the media 'ki hamara bail reject ho gaya hai. Aur 14 din ka JC grant hui hai (that the bail plea has been rejected and judicial custody has been extended by 14 days). I have learnt this from the Twitter posts of news channels and some law reporters. They all are citing KPS Malhotra as source," lawyer Soutik Banerjee said outside the courtroom here.
"It is extremely scandalous and it speaks of the status of rule of law in our country today. That even before the judicial magistrate has sat and pronounced the order, the police have leaked the order to the media. How KPS Malhotra knows what the order is. This calls for serious, serious introspection," the lawyer said.
When some media persons asked about the timing of the bail order, Banerjee said, "The order is expected when the judge sits."
The Delhi Police official earlier said the bail plea of Zubair has been dismissed and he has been sent to 14-day judicial custody in the case related to the "objectionable tweet".
The police produced Zubair before the court on the expiry of his five-day custodial interrogation and urged it to send him to judicial remand, saying they might need his custodial interrogation later.
After the police application, Zubair moved a bail application before the court.