The independence of India’s judiciary is well recognised and uninformed comments are unhelpful and should be avoided, said the foreign ministry Thursday reacting to the German foreign ministry’s remarks on the arrest of Mohammed Zubair.

"There is a judicial process underway in this case, and it would not be appropriate for me or anyone else to comment on a case that is sub-judice,” said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

New Delhi's reaction comes after the spokesperson of Germany's foreign ministry reportedly said that free reporting is beneficial to society and restrictions are a cause of concern. Germany also said that its embassy in New Delhi is "closely monitoring" the situation.

“Journalists should not be persecuted and imprisoned for what they say and write. We are indeed aware of this specific case and our embassy in New Delhi is monitoring it very closely," a German foreign ministry official had said.

Mohammed Zubair was arrested on June 27 by the Delhi Police for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through one of his tweets. He is presently in judicial custody.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the plea of Zubair for quashing the First Information Report (FIR) and bail in relation to a case registered against him in Uttar Pradesh's Sitapur district for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

Image courtesy: Times of India