On Wednesday (November 27), the Allahabad High Court was notified that Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which addresses actions that jeopardise India's sovereignty, unity, and integrity, is now included in the allegations against Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of Alt News.

During a hearing on Zubair's plea seeking protection from arrest, the investigating officer disclosed new details about the case. Zubair is accused of drawing attention to controversial remarks made by Yati Narsinghanand, a priest at Dasna Devi Temple in Ghaziabad. The case began after Udita Tyagi, General Secretary of the Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati Foundation, filed a complaint. The complaint was based on Zubair's 3 October post on social media platform X, where he described Narsinghanand's comments as "derogatory and hateful."

Multiple FIRs were filed against Narsinghanand in Telangana, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh for inciting communal hate after he allegedly made insulting remarks about Muhammad, whom Muslims consider to be their Prophet, in a speech he gave on September 29. Protests at the Dasna Devi Temple were also sparked by the speech. Tyagi filed a complaint claiming that Zubair’s tweet encouraged violence against Narsinghanand. She also alleged that it was part of a conspiracy involving AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind leader Arshad Madani to stir unrest. Based on this complaint, the Ghaziabad Police registered an FIR against Zubair under various sections, including those related to promoting enmity on religious grounds, fabricating false evidence, outraging religious feelings, defamation, and criminal intimidation.

The Investigating Officer informed the High Court that Section 66 of the Information Technology Act and Section 152 of the BNS had been added to the FIR. Section 152 makes it a crime to use spoken or written words, electronic communication, or any other method to provoke secession, rebellion, or actions that threaten the nation’s sovereignty. In his plea, Zubair refuted the accusations, claiming that his post was intended to highlight Narsinghanand's history of divisive comments, which frequently singled out prominent figures and women. The petition also referenced a social media post by Tyagi in which she praised a follower for their compliments and called the FIR filing a "publicity stunt."

Journalist Zubair has called the charges against him baseless and aimed at silencing his efforts to hold people like Narsinghanand accountable. His petition pointed out that Narsinghanand has a history of facing legal action for hate speech, suggesting that the complaint is more about retaliation than a genuine issue. The High Court has allowed new charges to be added and scheduled the next hearing for December 3. In the meantime, Zubair is seeking legal protection, arguing that the FIR undermines his work as a journalist dedicated to exposing communal and divisive rhetoric.