Indian Fact-Checker Mohammed Zubair Hit with New Sedition Charge Under Modernized Law

December 3, 2024 – India –

Mohammed Zubair, the co-founder of Alt News, India’s prominent fact-checking website, faces renewed legal peril. On December 3, 2024, Uttar Pradesh police filed sedition charges against him under Section 152 of the newly enacted Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), accusing him of “endangering the sovereignty and unity of India” through social media content.

The case focuses on a video Zubair shared in October 2024 on X (formerly Twitter), which captured Hindu preacher Yati Narsinghanand making derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad. Though the preacher was swiftly placed under house arrest, Zubair was accused of creating communal unrest, even though numerous journalists and public figures posted or referenced the same clip. His work has repeatedly exposed hate speech, yet state authorities have targeted him personally.

This marks the second major legal escalation after his 2022 arrest in Delhi for a dated tweet deemed offensive to Hindu beliefs. Zubair spent nearly a month in jail before securing bail. The Supreme Court later criticized the repeated arrests as part of a “vicious cycle” and allowed him interim bail while moving his cases out of Uttar Pradesh’s jurisdiction.

Human rights advocates warn that Section 152, though recast under BNS, mirrors the colonial-era sedition clause, empowering the state to silence critics. Amnesty India labelled the charge a tactic to “harass, intimidate, and persecute” journalists exposing hate speech; Digipub called it “untenable” and demanded withdrawal. The Press Club of India also urged repeal of the case, asserting that democracy depends on uninhibited expression.

Zubair, a Muslim journalist in a polarized environment, sees the case as retaliation for his core work: fact-checking propaganda and subjecting communal narratives to evidence-based scrutiny. His situation exemplifies a broader crackdown in India, where laws like sedition, conspiracy, and digital content regulations are increasingly used to suppress dissent.

With sedition revived via BNS, legal experts and rights groups fear escalating misuse of colonial-era powers. Observers caution that this resurgence threatens not just Zubair but the very foundations of free expression and independent journalism in India.

Reference – 

https://www.dhakatribune.com/world/south-asia/366983/indian-fact-checker-back-in-court-for-exposing

https://thediplomat.com/2024/12/indian-fact-checker-mohammed-zubair-slapped-with-sedition-charges/

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3dx9gy0k9no