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The Supreme Court, while granting bail to Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair in multiple alleged hate speech cases, said that the criminal justice machinery was "relentlessly employed" against the fact-checker, adding that arrest must not be used as a "punitive tool."
"As evident from the facts narrated above, the machinery of criminal justice has been relentlessly employed against the petitioner (Zubair)," the bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud said in its 21-page judgment.
In the verdict that was issued on 20 July and subsequently uploaded on its website on Monday, 25 July, the bench, which also comprised Justices Surya Kant and AS Bopanna, said that Zubair was subjected to multiple probes across the country despite the fact that the same tweets gave rise to similar offences in the First Information Reports (FIRs).
"Resultantly, he is trapped in a vicious cycle of the criminal process where the process has itself become the punishment," it added.
The apex court further said in its judgment that while the police were vested with the power to arrest people during the investigation, this power was not "unbridled."
The top court had delivered the verdict upon an appeal by the fact-checker to quash all FIRs filed against him in Uttar Pradesh.
The court had ordered his release on interim bail in all the cases and transferred them to the Delhi Police's Special Cell.
The court also noted that criminal law and its process must not be used as a "tool of harassment."
While hearing the counsel's submission to bar Zubair from tweeting while he is on bail, the bench said that gag orders have a "chilling effect" on the fundamental right to freedom of speech.
"A blanket order directing the petitioner to not express his opinion - an opinion that he is rightfully entitled to hold as an active participating citizen - would be disproportionate to the purpose of imposing conditions on bail. The imposition of such a condition would be tantamount to a gag order against the petitioner," the court added.
In its judgment, the court had also disbanded the Special Investigation Team (SIT) created by the UP Police to probe cases against the fact-checker, who was initially arrested by the Delhi Police on 27 June on the charge of allegedly hurting religious sentiments.
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