The lawyer of the fact checker and Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair on Saturday expressed shock after a Delhi Police official leaked the news to the media that Zubair was denied bail and his judicial custody was extended, even before the court order was pronounced.
"I am shocked to see that DCP KPS Malhotra has leaked in the media 'ki hamara bail reject ho gaya hai. Aur 14 din ka JC grant hui hai (that the bail plea has been rejected and judicial custody has been extended by 14 days). I have learnt this from the Twitter posts of news channels and some law reporters. They all are citing KPS Malhotra as source," lawyer Soutik Banerjee said outside the courtroom here.
"It is extremely scandalous and it speaks of the status of rule of law in our country today. That even before the judicial magistrate has sat and pronounced the order, the police have leaked the order to the media. How KPS Malhotra knows what the order is. This calls for serious, serious introspection," the lawyer said.
Meanwhile, the senior Delhi Police official KPS Malhotra, DCP, IFSO unit of Special Cell admitted to incorrectly informing the media that Zubair was sent to 14-day judicial custody.
Following the allegations, Malhotra admitted to informing reporters incorrectly about Zubair's judicial custody. “I had a word with my IO (investigating officer), I misheard it due to noise and inadvertently the message was posted in the broadcast,” he said.
