India’s top court orders release of jailed Muslim journalist

By SHEIKH SAALIQ
Associated Press

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s top court has granted bail to a Muslim journalist more than three weeks after he was detained for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through his tweets. The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered fact-checker Mohammed Zubair’s immediate release from jail, saying there was no justification for keeping him in custody. Zubair was arrested last month by Delhi police over a 2018 tweet on charges of insulting Hindu religious beliefs. Police in Uttar Pradesh state later charged him in a separate case for using the term “hatemongers” for Hindu monks who made inflammatory comments about Muslims. Zubair’s arrest is seen by critics as the latest example of shrinking media freedom in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.