Bail for man held 2.5 years in email case against Yogi Adityanath as trial crawls
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The Allahabad High Court has freed Mubarak Ali on bail after he spent roughly two-and-a-half years behind bars in a case stemming from an alleged email with derogatory remarks against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Justice Krishan Pahal allowed the bail plea in a case registered under IPC Sections 153A, 295A, 505(2), 504, 419, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B, along with Section 66 of the Information Technology Act, LiveLaw reported.
According to the prosecution, Ali sent an email containing offensive content against the Chief Minister in an effort to settle his dispute with the police informant, Jannatunnisha. His counsel maintained that Ali was falsely roped in and pointed out that he had only one earlier case against him.
The defence also stressed that Ali had been in custody since March 20, 2024, while the trial was advancing at a snail’s pace. The High Court had earlier called for a status report on the proceedings. As of July 23, 2026, just four witnesses had been examined, with 26 more yet to depose, as per the charge sheet.
Citing Ali’s lengthy detention and the slow-moving trial, the court observed that where bail is otherwise justified, an accused cannot be kept in jail merely because of past criminal records. It noted that Ali’s antecedents had been properly explained.
“Considering the facts and circumstances of the case, the submissions advanced by the parties and the evidence on record,” the court said it weighed the period already served and the pace of the trial before granting relief.
The bench clarified that it was not commenting on the merits of the case and that its bail observations would not prejudice the trial court’s independent evaluation of the evidence.
Ali was ordered to be released after furnishing a personal bond and two sureties of the same amount, subject to verification by the concerned court. He was directed not to tamper with evidence or threaten witnesses and to appear before the trial court whenever summoned. Any violation of these conditions could lead to cancellation of bail.
Uttar Pradesh has seen multiple instances of police action against people accused of criticising Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Recently, a Muslim woman journalist was arrested after she questioned the widely condemned demolition of a mosque inside the Saharanpur collectorate and criticised the Chief Minister. In February, Uttar Pradesh Police arrested a journalist from Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain district for allegedly posting an “objectionable” and “provocative” image of Yogi Adityanath on Facebook.