The Delhi High Court has ordered a user on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) to apologize to Alt-News co-founder Mohammad Zubair for an offensive comment made on the platform.
Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani emphasized the importance of maintaining civility on social media, stating that if someone crosses the line, they should apologize. The user has one week to post the apology, providing context about the offensive tweet, and must keep the apology visible on their account for two months.
The court was addressing a petition by Zubair, who sought to quash an FIR filed against him after an online dispute with this user. The user had expressed regret to the police for using “offensive communal names” against Zubair and claimed there was no intent to harm.
Justice Bhambhani noted that the user “chose unfortunate words” and should now apologize publicly on the same platform. He added, “We want people to be temperate on social media and if you get carried away then the first thing you have to do is at least apologize.”
In 2020, the Delhi Police filed an FIR against Zubair, accusing him of threatening and harassing a minor on social media. The case stemmed from Zubair’s response to the user, who had a picture of his daughter as his profile image. Zubair called the allegations “absolutely frivolous.” Though the police later closed the case against Zubair, the court asked the investigating agency to report on any action taken against the user for his hate speech.
During the hearing, the police said there was “no real basis” to charge the user, given his statement of regret. The user claimed he respects all religions and has good relationships with people from various communities.
The court reviewed other posts by the user and remarked that “this type of person should be barred from social media.” However, considering the user’s expression of regret, the court decided to close the case.
The court concluded by stating, “When you make a mistake on a platform, you apologize on the platform,” and aimed to end the conflict on social media. The court also noted that Zubair would not retweet the apology or use it to take further legal action against the user.
In September 2020, the court had directed the Delhi Police not to take any coercive action against Zubair. Twitter India was also instructed to cooperate with the police in the investigation. The NCPCR (National Commission for Protection of Child Rights) had argued that the police were wrong in stating no offense was committed by Zubair, criticizing the agency for its “casual attitude.”
