The Calcutta High Court on Thursday granted interim bail to social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli who was arrested last week for uploading a video with alleged communal comments.
A bench of Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury noted that the complaint against Panoli does not disclose any cognizable offence.
The court ordered that she be enlarged on bail bond and security of Rs 10,000, and directed her to cooperate with the investigation into the case.
It further said she cannot leave the country without its permission.
The high court further directed the state police to provide protection to Panoli in case she is faced by any threats due to her social media post.
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Panoli, a law student, was arrested by Kolkata Police from Gurugram in Haryana last week and was remanded to judicial custody by a Kolkata court till June 13
An FIR had been filed against her at the Garden Reach Police Station for allegedly uploading a video with communal comments, claiming Bollywood actors were silent on Operation Sindoor.
As her arrest triggered an uproar, the police defended its FIR, saying the video she shared "was insulting to the religious belief of a class of citizen of India and amounted to promoting disharmony and hatred between different communities".
The Calcutta High Court had earlier directed the West Bengal government to produce the case diary in connection with the arrest of Panoli on June 5.