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Delhi HC Tells X User to Apologise to Alt News Co-Founder Mohammad Zubair for Calling him 'Jihadi'

The case against Zubair was subsequently closed by the police and the court had directed the investigating agency to state what action it took against the Twitter user for his offensive tweet, which amounted to hate speech, against the journalist.
Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of AltNews. Photo: Mahesh Shantaram / www.thecontrarian.in (from Index on Censorship)

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday (August 22), directed an X user to apologise to Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair for offensive comments against the latter.

The X user had called Zubair a ‘Jihadi’, reported The Indian Express.

While observing that people should be temperate on the social media and apologise if they get “carried away”, Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani directed the user to publish his apology on his handle on X (formerly Twitter), in one week while “giving context of the offensive tweet”, reported the Press Trust of India.

The court also told the user to retain the post for two months.

“He has chosen the unfortunate words. Let him put it (apology) out on his Twitter handle…We want people to be temperate on social media and if you get carried away then first thing you have to do is at least apologise,” Justice Bhambhani said, reported PTI.

Back in 2020, the Delhi Police had registered the FIR against Zubair for allegedly threatening and torturing a girl child on X after he responded to the Twitter user who was using a picture with his minor daughter as a display picture.

Zubair had termed the allegations against him in the FIR as ‘absolutely frivolous’.

The case against Zubair was subsequently closed by the police and the court had directed the investigating agency to state what action it took against the Twitter user for his offensive tweet, which amounted to hate speech, against the journalist, reported PTI.

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