Alt News co-founder moves Delhi HC against police remand

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court will hear on Friday a plea by Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair challenging his police remand in a case related to an alleged objectionable tweet he had posted in 2018 against a Hindu deity.

The petition, which challenges the trial court's June 28 order granting four days of custody of Zubair to the Delhi Police, is listed for hearing before Justice Sanjeev Narula.

Zubair's advocate Vrinda Grover on Thursday mentioned the petition before Justice Narula who agreed to list it on Friday.

Meanwhile, a four-member team of the Delhi Police on Thursday reached Zubair's residence in Bengaluru as part of the investigation related to his 2018 tweet that led to his arrest, police said.

"Our four-member team, along with Zubair who is currently in police custody, has reached his house in Bengaluru. Our team members are there to collect electronic evidence in relation to the case. This includes his mobile phone or the laptop that he must have used to post the tweet in question," a senior officer said.

The Alt News co-founder was arrested by the Delhi Police on June 27 for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through one of his tweets and was sent to one-day police custody by the trial court on the same day.

After being produced on the expiry of his one-day custodial interrogation, his custody was extended by another four days by Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Snigdha Sarvaria.

As per the trial court's order, Zubair would be next produced before it on July 2 upon the expiry of the four-day police remand.