The Ghaziabad police in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday informed the Allahabad High Court that the First Information Report (FIR) against Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair includes "endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India."
According to reports, the officer investigating the case informed the High Court that the FIR filed against the fact-checker include the offence of endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India, under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The statement came when the high court was hearing the journalist's plea seeking to quash the FIR against him over sharing a video clip of Yati Narsinghanand, a priest at Ghaziabad’s Dasna Devi Temple.
Ghaziabad police filed the FIR against Zubair last month following a complaint by an aide of Narsinghanand.
According to the news agency PTI, Udita Tyagi, general secretary of the Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati Foundation, alleged that Zubair posted an older video featuring Narsinghanand in order to provoke violence against him by Muslims.
Earlier that month, controversy ensued after videos showing Narsinghanand making derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad were shared on social media.
Narsinghanand had allegedly made comments inciting people to burn the Prophet’s effigies at an event in Ghaziabad on September 29, a report said.
Muslims in several places in Uttar Pradesh took to the streets in protest and demanded action against the priest.
Zubair has denied the allegations. He reportedly asserted in his plea that his post was aimed at exposing Narsinghanand’s history of inflammatory remarks, which often targeted women and political figures.
This is not the first FIR filed against Zubair. He was also arrested in June 2022 over a post he made in 2018.
Alt News, the fact-checking outlet Zubair co-founded, said in a statement on Wednesday that it “stands in solidarity with Zubair as he faces this relentless legal intimidation”.
"This affidavit is yet another example of how state machinery is being used to intimidate individuals and organisations committed to exposing hate and misinformation. Alt News remains steadfast in our mission to uphold truth and accountability in public discourse," the statement added.