Calcutta High Court Grants Interim Bail To Law Student Sharmistha Panoli
|The Court, while rejecting Sharmistha Panoli’s interim bail on June 3, had said that the State must be given an opportunity to produce relevant records and address the issues raised in the petition.
The Calcutta High Court today granted interim bail to law student Sharmistha Panoli, who the Kolkata Police arrested for allegedly making communal remarks on social media during the post-'Operation Sindoor' period, in response to comments made by a Pakistani national.
A Single Bench of Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury granted the relief during the hearing of Panoli’s writ petition. While considering the matter, the Court remarked, “Who is the petitioner? Is she into politics? Is she a very popular person whose identity would be known to all and sundry? Then why is her school mentioned in the FIR?” The Bench also remarked, “After all, let’s find out who is the petitioner… On the basis of the FIR, it transpires that she is a law student...”
Advocate General Kishore Datta appeared for the State of West Bengal, and Senior Advocate D.P. Singh appeared for Panoli.
Singh submitted, “Her arrest was illegal right from day one,” and argued, “Blasphemy is not the law of the land… Her target audience was a Pakistani individual. She removed the post the next day and rendered an apology.” He added, “She is a fourth-year student of law. She would have been a lawyer next year.”
Earlier, the Court had refused to grant interim bail and had directed the State to produce the case diary and relevant documents. After hearing further submissions today, interim bail was granted
Panoli, 22, was arrested on May 31, 2025, from Gurugram, Haryana, and brought to Kolkata on transit remand. She has been booked under Sections 196(1)(a), 299, 352, and 353(1)(c) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The FIR was lodged on a complaint by Wazahat Khan, General Secretary of the Rashidi Foundation, alleging that Panoli made blasphemous remarks against the Prophet of Islam, disturbing communal harmony.
Four FIRs were registered against her across West Bengal. In her writ petition before the Calcutta High Court, Panoli sought quashing of all FIRs, consolidation of cases arising from the same cause of action, and interim bail.
Panoli’s arrest has been condemned by the legal fraternity. The Bar Council of Delhi Chairman, Surya Prakash Khatr,i slammed Kolkata Police for “high-handedness” and called the arrest a selective, excessive action done at the behest of the West Bengal Government.
Manan Kumar Mishra, Chairman of the Bar Council of India, issued a press statement describing Panoli’s arrest as a “blatant assault on freedom of expression” and a reflection of “selective, politically motivated action and suppression of dissent in West Bengal.”
Cause Title: Shamishta Panoli @ Sharmishta Panoli Raj v. The State of West Bengal & Ors. (W.P.A. 12361 of 2025)