Connect with us
Thursday,04-December-2025
Breaking News

National News

‘Travelled to Saudi Arabia, foreign contribution from inimical countries’: Zubair under lens of security agencies

Published

on

Mohammed Zubair, who claimed to have chased facts, has been under spotlight following his arrest in connection with his controversial tweets.

According to security agencies, Zubair, a resident of Bengaluru and holding a Bachelor of Engineering degree in telecom engineering from private M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology (MSRIT), has travelled to Saudi Arabia and Australia.

On two separate occasions, the UP government had vehemently opposed Zubair’s bail in connection with FIRs registered in UP. On July 8, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Uttar Pradesh government, told the Supreme Court that the matter is not about a single tweet by Zubair, but rather whether he is part of a syndicate which puts out tweets to destabilize the society.

Mehta further added that in a separate case registered by the Delhi Police, Zubair was under investigation because his company has received foreign contributions from countries, which are inimical to India. He said Zubair’s tweet at a particular time created a law-and-order situation, which is under investigation and “there is something more to it than meets the eye”.

He emphasised that the matter is not of a single tweet, instead his overall conduct is under investigation and added that Zubair is a habitual offender and there are six cases against him in UP.

However, the top court granted an interim bail for 5 days to Zubair in connection with a case registered against him by the UP Police for a tweet, where he allegedly called Hindu seers hatemongers.

Twelve days later, Uttar Pradesh’s Additional Advocate General Garima Prasad contended in the Supreme Court that Zubair is a person who, instead of informing the police of hate speech, has been taking advantage of speeches and videos having potential of creating a communal divide and he had shared them repeatedly.

Counsel claimed his tweets are meant to inflame communal violence, which actually took place, in certain localities of Uttar Pradesh, where videos of crimes were used along with comments to incite communal elements to indulge in violence.

However, the Supreme Court said there is “absolutely no justification” in subjecting Zubair to endless custody for his tweets, as it granted interim bail to him in six criminal cases registered against him in UP and ordered his immediate release from jail.

During arguments in the apex court, the top court identified Zubair as a journalist, while Prasad argued that he was not a journalist and sought directions to restrain him from tweeting.

Refusing to restrain Zubair from tweeting, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said “It is like telling a lawyer that you should not argue. How can we tell a journalist that he will not write?….” As

Prasad reiterated, “He is not a journalist…”, Justice Chandrachud added that if he violates any law by tweeting, then the authorities can proceed against him as per law.

Zubair has a family with a wife, kids, and parents. He completed his engineering degree in 2005. He then joined Airtel Enterprises in Bengaluru as an engineer for two years. He then worked in CISCO-HCL company for one year before joining Nokia-Siemens Network in 2008 and travelled the entire country including all big metros as part of his job. Zubair worked for the NSN for a decade and met Pravda Media Foundation Director Pratik Sinha and his mother Nirjhari Sinha in 2015.

Pratik Sinha’s father Mukul Sinha ran a campaign against then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi over Gujarat riots. It was after this meeting that Zubair and Pravada Foundation joined hands to set up Alt News by as a fact checking website. The UP state counsel on Wednesday told the apex court that Zubair has earned more than Rs 2 crore for his malicious tweets and is not a journalist. Zubair had moved the top court seeking interim bail in six FIRs registered in UP over his tweets.

Crime

Ulhasnagar Woman Harassed in Divyang Coach Of Mumbai Local Train; 2 Arrested

Published

on

Kalyan: In a shocking incident, a 26-year-old woman from Ulhasnagar was allegedly harassed in the Divyang coach of a Mumbai local train on December 2. The incident occurred on Tuesday, December 2, at around 8.15 pm.

In the video shared by, while returning from work in Thane, she boarded the Central Railways Thane-Kalyan train. After the train crossed Dombivali, the woman argued with the accused, identified as Anup Surendra Singh, and Abhilasha Arjun Nayar regarding the Divyang pass. The woman alleged that after she had a heated argument, the two accused caught her hand and even eve-teased her.

When they got down at Ulhasnagar station, all three, along with another eyewitness, had a huge argument at the station. Railway Police soon reached the platform, where several women intervened and confronted the officers about the incident. The police then later moved the accused to the Kalyan Railway Police Station, and based on the woman’s complaint, a case was registered under Section 74 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Both the accused have been arrested.

Meanwhile, last month, a 25-year-old transgender person was arrested by the Vashi Government Railway Police (GRP) for allegedly molesting a 28-year-old woman aboard a Panvel to CSMT local train on 2 November. The incident occurred around 12.10 pm when the train was nearing Nerul station. The accused, when he boarded the general compartment of the harbour line train, was seeking alms from passengers. When the train crossed Seawoods station, an argument broke out between the accused and a male passenger who refused to give money.

The man, accompanied by a female friend, asked the accused to move ahead, leading to a heated verbal exchange. During the confrontation, the accused allegedly abused the man and touched the woman on her shoulder, which made her uncomfortable. A complaint was filed and the accused was taken into custody by the Vashi GRP.

Continue Reading

Business

India-AI Impact Summit 2026 to generate actionable recommendations: Minister

Published

on

New Delhi, Dec 3: Reflecting India’s growing role in global AI discussions, the country will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 here from February 16–20, the government said on Wednesday.

For the first time, the global AI summit series will take place in the Global South and the shift signals a broader move toward a more inclusive global AI dialogue, said Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Jitin Prasada, in Lok Sabha.

“In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, the government is democratising the development and usage of technology. The focus is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for solving real-world problems and ultimately improving lives across various sectors,” said the minister.

In this regard, the government has taken an inclusive and innovation-friendly approach to AI governance. India’s AI strategy has been formed after studying legal frameworks around the world and extensive consultation with stakeholders. A key pillar of India’s AI strategy is its balanced and pragmatic techno-legal approach to regulation.

The summit reflects India’s growing role in global AI discussions. It follows the UK AI Safety Summit, AI Seoul Summit, Paris AI Action Summit (which India co-chaired), and the Global AI Summit on Africa.

This demonstrates that the Summit is situated within a broader global discourse and seeks to contribute to harmonised international cooperation on responsible AI development, said the minister.

The thematic priorities of the Summit, referred to as the seven ‘Chakras’, underline its key objectives. These include Human Capital, Inclusion, Safe and Trusted AI, Resilience, Innovation and Efficiency, Democratizing AI Resources, and AI for Economic Development and Social Good.

These thematic areas encompass issues such as AI safety, data governance, transparency, human-centred development and accountability frameworks. These discussions are aligned to drive the strategic direction of the Summit’s events and deliberations.

The Summit is intended to generate actionable recommendations that contribute to long-term AI governance objectives rather than framing immediate binding regulations.

Continue Reading

National News

Maha Legislature’s winter session from December 8 to 14

Published

on

Mumbai, Dec 3: Amid local body polls, the winter session of the Maharashtra Legislature will be held from December 8 to 14 in Nagpur.

The schedule was finalised on Wednesday at the meetings of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of the state Assembly and Council held at Vidhan Bhavan.

The winter session duration was earlier announced from December 8 to 19, when both Houses were prorogued after the conclusion of the monsoon session held in July.

However, the winter session duration has been curtailed as polling during the second phase of the Nagar Parishad and Nagar Panchayat elections is slated for December 20 and counting on December 21.

Speaker Rahul Narwekar chaired the BAC meeting of the state Assembly, while state council Chairman Ram Shinde presided over the BAC meeting of the upper house.

The opposition parties, including Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP(SP), during the BAC meetings strongly demanded that the duration of the winter session should be not less than three weeks.

They also demanded that the appointment of leaders of the opposition in the state council and Assembly, respectively, should be done without further delays.

Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Anil Parab confirmed that he and Congress legislator Satej Patil met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, demanding the appointment of leaders of the opposition.

“It is unconstitutional to hold winter session of the state legislature in the absence of the leaders of the opposition,” he said.

He added that the Chief Minister assured them they would “consider the matter positively.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Bhaskar Jadhav criticised the government’s “dilly-dallying” over the appointment of leaders of the opposition in the state Council and Assembly, saying that the government fears the opposition’s presence.

“They (ministers) are not brave enough to face the opposition’s barrage of questions,” he claimed. Jadhav slammed the state government for “curtailing” the winter session, demanding that its duration should have been three weeks.

Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Anil Parab attributed the short duration of the winter session to the impending Municipal Corporation elections in Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, and other major cities, suggesting the government is reluctant to address issues comprehensively before the polls.

“A one-week session is not enough to raise all of Maharashtra’s issues. We only hope that at least Vidarbha’s core issues can be addressed since the session is in Nagpur,” he remarked.

Bhaskar Jadhav argued that the government is “not prepared to extend the session” because, despite having a large majority, “they do not have answers to the torrent of questions from the opposition”.

Bhaskar Jadhav launched a scathing attack on the State Election Commission (SEC) for its alleged inaction on pre-election financial schemes.

“The current State Election Commission seems to be blind, mute, and deaf and working for a political party. Previously, the SEC used to immediately stay financial schemes announced just before elections. But this commission is watching with open eyes while government money is being distributed to buy people’s votes,” he commented.

In a sharp counterattack, BJP legislator Ram Kadam dismissed the opposition’s criticism of the session duration.

“These are the same people who used to wrap up the session in two or three days when they were in power. They are now teaching us how long a session should be,” he retorted.

“These frustrated people need medical treatment,” he said.

Kadam affirmed that the Chief Minister and both Deputy Chief Ministers, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, were fully prepared to answer all the opposition’s questions and that the BJP does not work based on election schedules, as elections are a matter for the State Election Commission.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending