Delhi HC dismisses Zubair's plea seeking return of seized e-devices

New Delhi: Advising Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair to approach a trial court, the Delhi High Court disposed of a petition by him seeking the release of his electronic devices seized by Delhi Police in 2022, Bar and Bench reported.

The devices were seized by the police in connection with a case over a 2018 social media post by him, which shared a still from a 1983 movie, which features a signboard being repainted from “Honeymoon Hotel” to “Hanuman Hotel”. The case was based on allegations by an anonymous X handle @balajikijaiin, accusing Zubair of hurting Hindu religious sentiments.

Police arrested the fact-checker in June 2022, charging him with hurting religious sentiments, and it was only a month later he was granted bail by a Delhi court. The court then noted that free speech is the proper foundation of a democratic society.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police claimed that Zubair told them that the laptop and mobile phone he used to share the online post in question was at his home in Bengaluru. Therefore, they raided his house and recovered the same, two invoices and a hard disk on June 30, 2022.

When his X post clearly states that he shared it using an Android device, he argued why his laptop was seized over the post and pertaining case.