The Calcutta High Court granted interim bail to Sharmishta Panoli, a 22-year-old social media influencer and law student from Kolkata. She was arrested on May 31 for allegedly making communal remarks in a video related to Operation Sindoor.
The bail decision for Sharmishta Panoli, requiring a Rs 10,000 bond and restricting foreign travel to educational purposes only, comes after significant political backlash.
Panoli’s arrest stemmed from a May 14 Instagram video responding to a Pakistani user’s post questioning India’s military actions after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
BIG BREAKING NEWS 🚨 Calcutta High Court grants interim bail to Sharmishta Panoli.
HC questions Sharmistha Panoli's arrest.
HC says, “You would be ashamed, this is about modesty of the young lady.”
"We are directing Police to provide security to her due to threats"
"She must… pic.twitter.com/CkXiCqgTDh
— Times Algebra (@TimesAlgebraIND) June 5, 2025The video, which AIMIM’s Waris Pathan deemed offensive, sparked outrage and led to an FIR at Kolkata’s Garden Reach Police Station. The court consolidated several FIRs into one case and ordered the Kolkata Police to ensure Panoli’s safety following pre-arrest threats.
The Operation Sindoor controversy ignited a political storm, with the BJP and allies criticising West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee government for curbing free speech, per Hindustan Times. Dutch MP Geert Wilders called the arrest a “disgrace,” urging PM Narendra Modi to intervene. Panoli’s May 15 apology on X, expressing regret for hurting sentiments, failed to halt her arrest.
Read: Sharmishta Panoli, Influencer and Law Student, Arrested for Controversial Video
The Wajahat Khan Qadri FIR, filed on June 4, accuses the complainant against Panoli of hate speech against Hindu deities, with Qadri now absconding. Assam Police issued an arrest warrant, and FIRs in three states target Qadri. The Calcutta High Court’s June 3 denial of interim bail, citing that free speech doesn’t justify harming sentiments, sparked death threats against Justice Partha Sarathi Chatterjee.
