Now, cops give clean chit to NRI in Facebook 'like' case

KOCHI: Eight months after booking a non-resident Indian on charges of sedition for a Facebook 'like', police have clarified that no such posting or message was found on his Facebook profile.
North circle inspector M G Sabu, the investigating officer in the case, has filed an affidavit stating that a probe by the cyber cell of the city police could not find any such post on the NRI's Facebook account.
"The Cyber Cell, Kochi City has enquired into the matter and reported that no posting or message as alleged was found on the suspect's profile," the affidavit said.
Eloor police had booked K H Muhammed Ali, a native of Eloor and an employee of Dubai municipality, on September 20 last year on charges of sedition (124A of Indian Penal Code), sending offensive message (66A of Information Technology Act, 2000) and insulting the national flag (section 2 of Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971).
The first information report registered on a directive from the city police commissioner had alleged that the NRI's Facebook account had 'I Love Pakistan' as his favourite message. It was also alleged that Ali had tried to create anti-national sentiments through Facebook by embossing other pictures on the picture of the national flag.
Ali had challenged the first information report in the high court, where his counsel K K Ashkar contended that the Facebook account doesn't bear the message 'I Love Pakistan' nor have any picture showing disrespect to the national flag. He also contended that Ali had not sent any offensive message or picture showing disrespect to the national flag.