Karnataka HC to pronounce verdict on Twitter MD’s plea on July 20

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court, which is hearing Twitter India Managing Director Manish Maheshwari’s plea against the notice issued by the Uttar Pradesh Police to appear before them in person, said on Tuesday that it will dictate its order on July 20.

During the hearing today, Justice G Narendar said he would dictate the order next Tuesday.

The judge said he would go through the citations in detail with regard to the territorial jurisdiction of the police.

The Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) police issued the notice under Section 41-A of the CrPC on June 21 asking him to report at the Loni Border police station at 10.30 am on June 24.

Maheshwari had moved the Karnataka High Court as he lives in Bengaluru in Karnataka.

On June 24, the High Court, in an interim order, restrained the Ghaziabad police from initiating any coercive action against him.

Justice Narendar had also maintained that if the police wanted to examine him, they could do so through virtual mode.

The Ghaziabad police, on June 15, booked Twitter Inc, Twitter Communications India Private Limited (Twitter India), news website The Wire, journalists Mohammed Zubair and Rana Ayyub, besides Congress leaders Salman Nizami, Maskoor Usmani, Shama Mohamed and writer Saba Naqvi.

They were booked over the circulation of a video in which an elderly man, Abdul Shamad Saifi, alleges he was thrashed by some young men who also asked him to chant ”Jai Shri Ram” on June 5.

According to police, the video was shared to cause communal unrest.