The excruciating legal journey of AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair this past month reiterated to us at Scroll.in why independent news sites are so important – and why they are so feared by those in power.

Zubair – whose fact-checking site plays a vital role in exposing misinformation and disinformation – was arrested at the end of June for satirically tweeting a still from a romantic comedy released in 1983. The Delhi Police claimed that his tweet had the potential to “incite feelings of hatred amongst people”. 

The fact that the film had not elicited any complaints over the past four decades seemed irrelevant. 

Several observers pointed out that the case had been registered after Zubair drew attention to now-suspended Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s controversial remarks about Prophet Mohammad. The international outrage that resulted from Sharma’s remarks greatly embarrassed the Indian government.

Even as Zubair was given bail in this case, six other cases were registered against him in Uttar Pradesh, aimed at keeping him in custody for a very long time. As Arunabh Saikia reported, three of the six cases were based on complaints by Hindutva leaders. 

In her Weekly Fix video feature, Smitha Nair discussed the cases with lawyer Rebecca John, who noted how casually the power of arrest is wielded in India today.

Eventually, after 23 days, it took an appeal to the Supreme Court for Zubair to be granted bail. But as Shoaib Daniyal noted, several other journalists are still behind bars, awaiting justice.

It would be reasonable to expect Zubair to have been left embittered by his ordeal. Instead, he told Arunabh Saikia in an interview how he had found hope in jail. 

Scroll.in Investigation

Supriya Sharma and Arunbh Saikia spent several weeks reporting on how the Modi government has weaponised the Enforcement Directorate to file cases against India’s Opposition.  As they found, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act was always stringent but amendments in 2019 have made it even more draconian. The number of cases has risen astronomically.

How the Modi government has weaponised the ED to go after India’s Opposition

The money laundering law was always stringent. Amendments in 2019 have made it even more draconian. Cases have risen astronomically.

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A request from Scroll.in reporter Aishwarya Iyer