Following the arrest of fact checker and AltNews co-founder, Mohammed Zubair, a team of the Delhi Police flew Zubair to his Bengaluru home to recover his electronic devices as part of the investigation.

Why, you would wonder. His arrest, after all, only pertained to one anonymous twitter handle taking objection to a tweet Zubair had put out in 2018. Is this as Zubair’s lawyer Vrinda Grover argued, an attempt to “conduct a fishing inquiry” beyond the scope of the present case.

Then there have been multiple cases of WhatsApp chats of individuals like Deepika Padukone, Aryan Khan being accessed by the police and released to the media. There’ve been reports of the Hyderabad police stopping motorists and compelling them to part with their biometrics, unlocking their devices and reading their personal communication. Does the law really provide the police with unfettered access to our electronic devices?

We put these questions to senior advocate and a veteran of criminal law, Rebecca John.

Writer and host: Smitha Nair

Producer: Karnika Kohli

Graphics designer: Rubin D'Souza

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