3 weeks ago
Hyderabad Man Gets Bail in PM Modi Social Media Case
A man named Hassan Mohiuddin Siddiqi lives in Hyderabad, a city in India.
The police said he shared messages on a social media website called X about the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.
The police thought the messages were misleading and could hurt the Prime Minister's reputation.
Because of this, Mr. Siddiqi was arrested and kept in jail.
After 107 days, a court in Chandigarh decided to let him out on bail.
Bail means he can go home but must follow important rules.
One rule is that he cannot use his X account until the trial is finished.
He also has to pay a bond of Rs 1 lakh, which is like a promise to follow the rules.
His lawyer said Mr. Siddiqi only asked X's smart computer tool, called Grok, to check if a video was real.
A judge said keeping him in jail longer would not be useful.
The Chandigarh district court granted regular bail on Monday to Hassan Mohiuddin Siddiqi, a 42-year-old Hyderabad resident, 107 days after his arrest.
Siddiqi was arrested on April 25 in an FIR registered on April 19 at the Sector 26 police station over alleged circulation of 'misleading and scandalous' information about PM Narendra Modi via his X account.
Additional Sessions Judge Rohit Watts granted bail on the condition that Siddiqi not use his X account until the conclusion of the trial.
The court noted the investigation was complete and sections relating to forgery and the IT Act no longer featured in the final challan, constituting changed circumstances.
Siddiqi must furnish bail bonds and surety bonds of Rs 1 lakh; an FIR against academician and author Madhu Kishwar in the same matter was also registered in April.
- Who
- Hassan Mohiuddin Siddiqi, a 42-year-old Hyderabad resident, who was granted bail by Additional Sessions Judge Rohit Watts of the Chandigarh district court.
- What
- Siddiqi was granted regular bail in a case alleging he circulated and disseminated 'misleading and scandalous' information about Prime Minister Narendra Modi through his X account.
- Where
- Chandigarh district court; the FIR was registered at the Sector 26 police station in Chandigarh.
- When
- Bail was granted on Monday, 107 days after Siddiqi's arrest on April 25; the FIR was registered on April 19 and his earlier bail application was dismissed on May 25.
- Why
- The court found that the investigation was complete, sections relating to forgery and the IT Act no longer featured in the final challan, and no useful purpose would be served by keeping the applicant behind bars.
Defence and Civil Liberties View
Prosecution View
Siddiqi's social media activity
Defence and Civil Liberties View
Siddiqi did not share any morphed video clip or make any comment; he only posed a question to X's AI tool Grok to verify if a video was genuine, with no intention to malign any constitutional authority.
Prosecution View
Siddiqi, in criminal conspiracy with others, circulated and disseminated misleading and scandalous information about the Prime Minister with the intention to injure his dignity and reputation, and performed digital manipulations satisfying the ingredients of forgery.
Grant of bail
Defence and Civil Liberties View
The investigation was complete, forgery and IT Act sections were dropped from the final challan, about three months had passed since the earlier bail plea was dismissed, and continued detention served no useful purpose.
Prosecution View
Sharing such social media posts has a deleterious effect on society at large, and the applicant did not deserve the concession of bail.
Key facts
- Accused
- Hassan Mohiuddin Siddiqi, 42, Hyderabad resident
- Court
- Chandigarh district court
- Presiding judge
- Additional Sessions Judge Rohit Watts
- Arrest date
- April 25; FIR registered April 19
- Days in custody before bail
- 107
- Bail conditions
- No use of X account until trial concludes; bail and surety bonds of Rs 1 lakh
- FIR location
- Sector 26 police station, Chandigarh
- Related accused
- Madhu Kishwar (FIR registered by Chandigarh Police in April)
Quotes
Court
Judicial decision maker
“The court observed that since the final verdict has not been given, so ‘the contention of the counsel for the applicant that the alleged act and conduct of the applicant doesn’t strictly satisfy the ingredients of the offences, which find mention in the FIR, cannot be appreciated’.”
indianexpress.com
“‘Under these combined circumstances, this court is of the considered opinion that no useful purpose would be served by detaining the applicant-accused behind the bars anymore.’”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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