Twitter India MD files caveat petition in Supreme Court in Ghaziabad fake hate video case

With reports suggesting that the Ghaziabad Police is contemplating moving the Supreme Court, Twitter India's Managing Director (MD) Manish Maheshwari has filed a caveat petition before the Top Court on Monday. This comes after the Karnataka High Court restrained Ghaziabad Police from taking any coercive action against the microblogging site's top employee in India in the Ghaziabad hate video case. A caveat petition is usually filed as a precautionary measure by a person who holds strong fear of a case being filed against him in any court of law. 

In the hearing on June 24, the Karnataka High Court allowed interim relief to Maheshwari after he moved the court against Ghaziabad Police's summons to the Twitter employee in connection to the fake hate video case. Ghaziabad Police had issued summons to the Twitter India MD to join the probe in person; however, Maheswari had sought a virtual meeting.

HC allows interrogation through VC

Seeking relief, Manish Maheshwari's counsel submitted that he has 'nothing to do with the offence' and he is only an employee of the organisation, on which the video in question was uploaded. Citing the precedent of the Supreme Court allowing recording of statements virtually amid the pandemic, Maheshwari said that he resides in Bangalore and hence is unable to travel to Uttar Pradesh, where his presence is sought. 

Dictating the order in the matter, the High Court observed that the Twitter India MD is an employee of the accused, adding that he is neither a member of the board of directors nor is he responsible for uploading the alleged video against which the police have registered an FIR. The court also took into account his submission that the video in question has nothing to do with the Twitter India MD as he is in charge of the sales and marketing of the company. However, the court had allowed police to interrogate the Twitter representative virtually if it wants to. 

Meanwhile, amid the ongoing probe in the fake hate video case, the Ghaziabad Police on Monday grilled journalists Mohammad Zubair and Saba Naqvi, who had shared the video despite police's clarification quashing the communal angle. The police is also likely to book Samajwadi Party leader Ummed Pahalwan Idrisi under the National Security Act. Appearing in a Facebook live alongside Idrisi, Abdul Samad Saifi alleged that he was assaulted, his beard was forcibly cut and asked to chant slogans of Jai Shri Ram and Vande Mataram on June 6. This angle of his claim has been refuted as false.

Twitter under the scanner

Trouble ensued after some prominent personalities claimed on Twitter that an old man Abdul Samad Saifi was not just assaulted in Uttar Pradesh with his beard being forcibly cut but also asked to chant slogans such as Jai Shri Ram. Calling them out for giving a communal spin to the incident, the police stressed that Twitter and Twitter India did not take any steps to remove the contentious tweets. The case in question was registered at the Loni Border Police Station on June 15.

Twitter has been booked under Sections 34 (common intention), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 153 (provocation with intent to cause riot), 153-A (promoting enmity on grounds of religion), 295-A (deliberate act to outrage religious feelings) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the IPC. This development comes just days after the social media giant lost its 'safe harbour' immunity implying that its top executives may face criminal action for third-party content. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party leader Ummed Pahalwan Idrisi was arrested in connection with this case on June 19 and remanded to 14-day judicial custody. 

An investigation by Republic TV showed how the Ghaziabad Police had been replying to each and every tweet that made to proliferate the fake communal angle alleged in the incident. However, they apparently received no assistance from Twitter. None of the post they responded to were tagged as 'manipulated media', while the fake-news vastly outgunned the multiple clarifications by the cops.