Delhi High Court Orders Apology for Offensive Tweet against Alt-News Co-founder

The Delhi High Court directed a social media user to apologize to Alt-News co-founder Mohammad Zubair for an offensive comment. Justice Bhambhani emphasized the importance of temperance on social media. The user had previously expressed regret to the police, and the court closed the proceedings while barring the user from social media.

The Delhi High Court directed an 'X' user on Thursday to apologize to Alt-News co-founder Mohammad Zubair for his 'offensive' comment on the social media platform. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani emphasized the need for temperance on social media and ordered the user to publish an apology on his handle within a week, providing context for the offensive tweet and retaining the post for two months.

Addressing Mohammad Zubair's petition to quash an FIR against him, the court noted the user had expressed regret to the police for using 'offensive communal names' without malicious intent. Justice Bhambhani remarked that if the user has shown regret and stated he had no intention to harm, an apology should be issued. In 2020, an FIR had been filed against Zubair for allegedly threatening and torturing a girl child on social media, which he described as 'an absolutely frivolous complaint'.

Though the police closed the case against Zubair, the court sought a report on actions taken against the user for hate speech. The user's statement expressed respect for all religions, and his posts led the court to suggest barring him from social media. While concluding that social media is anarchic, the court endorsed an apology but barred Zubair from retweeting or suing based on it. Earlier, the high court directed non-coercive steps and Twitter India's cooperation in the investigation.

(With inputs from agencies.)