Hindu religion one of the oldest and most tolerant: Delhi court in Mohammed Zubair bail order

A Delhi court while granting bail Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair observed that the Hindu religion and its followers are one of the most tolerant [State v. Mohammed Zubair]..This observation were made by Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala in the context of Zubair's tweet which contained a photograph of a hotel named Hanuman hotel.“Hindu religion is one of the oldest religion and most tolerant. The followers of the Hindu religion are also tolerant. Hindu religion is so tolerant that its followers proudly name their institution/ organizations/ facilities in the name of their holy god or goddess,” the judge recorded in the order.Therefore, it the Court found that naming an institute, facility, organisation or child in the name of a Hindu deity was not an offence unless it was done with malice or guilty intention.Zubair has been booked by the Delhi Police for promoting enmity among religious groups through his tweets and for violations of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (FCRA)..[Mohammed Zubair Bail order] Complainant's identity not established; criticism of political parties not offence: Delhi court.Further, addressing the allegation that Zubair had used the words “Before 2014 and After 2014” to point to a political party, the court said that the political parties are open to criticism.“The voice of dissent is necessary for healthy democracy. Therefore, merely for the criticism of any political parties it is not justified to invoke Section 153A and 295A IPC,” the Court said..The case against Zubair was based on a complaint from a Twitter handle called Hanuman Bhakt alleging that Zubair had tweeted a questionable image with the intention to deliberately insult a Hindu God. His lawyers have maintained that the tweeted image was a screenshot from the 1983 movie Kissi Se Na Kehna..Zubair was initially booked for offences under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between religious groups) and 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship, with intent to insult the religion of any class) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).Subsequently, offences under Section 35 of Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 and Sections 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) 201 (destruction of evidence) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC were added..Despite securing bail, Zubair will remain in jail as he is in judicial custody in other cases against him by the Uttar Pradesh PoliceThe Uttar Pradesh Police has registered six separate FIRs against Zubair. He was booked by Sitapur Police in a case of hurting religious sentiments in which the Supreme Court granted him interim bail on July 8. He was remanded to 14-day judicial custody in another FIR registered in UP's Lakhimpur Kheri district.The Uttar Pradesh government had also formed a Special Investigation Team to investigate the six cases.Zubair meanwhile has approached the Supreme Court seeking to quash the six FIRs..[Read Order]