Latest news with #ArrestSharmishta
Mint
03-06-2025
- General
- Mint
Sharmistha Panoli row: Calcutta HC denies interim bail; says ‘freedom of speech does not mean you will hurt people'
Sharmistha Panoli row: The Calcutta high court on Tuesday refused to grant interim bail to Instagram content creator Sharmistha Panoli, and observed that freedom of speech does not give a person the 'will to go on to hurt others'. Instagram influencer, and a law student — Sharmistha Panoli — found herself at the centre of controversy for allegedly making controversial statements in now-deleted videos against a community in the wake of Operation Sindoor. She was arrested by the Kolkata Police last week, after an FIR was filed against her. Justice Partha Sarathi Chatterjee, who presiding over the matter, while denying ad-interim bail, said," Look, we have freedom of speech, but that doesn't mean you will go on to hurt others," reported Live Law. The judge further noted: 'Our country is diverse, with people from different castes, creeds, and religions. We must be cautious by saying this. So, day after tomorrow. Heavens will not fall.' Panoli was arrested for allegedly making controversial remarks criticising Bollywood celebrities for their 'silence' on 'Operation Sindoor." Her now deleted video had 'derogatory and disrespectful" comments aimed at a particular religious community, police said. After the video went viral, #ArrestSharmishta also started trending on X. Social media users flooded the comments section of Sharmistha's Instagram post prompting her to delete the video and issue a public apology. Following her arrest, Panoli was produced before Alipore Court in Kolkata on Saturday, which remanded her in judicial custody for 14 days. During the case hearing, Sharmistha Panoli's lawyer argued that her arrest was unlawful because the charges mentioned in the FIR were non-cognisable, and she wasn't given any prior notice—which would have been mandatory under the new BNSS laws. Earlier, her lawyer, Md Samimuddin, also said that Panoli's health was getting worse due to poor hygiene and lack of medical care at the Alipore Women's Correctional Home. As per police sources, the FIR against Panoli was lodged under sections 196(1) (a) promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste, or community, 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class of citizens), 352 ( intentional insult with the intent to provoke a breach of peace), 353(1)(c) (statements that incite public mischief) of the BNSS , reported HT.
Mint
31-05-2025
- Mint
Who is Sharmistha Panoli? Pune law student arrested in Gurugram for 'derogatory' social media post on Op Sindoor
Instagram influencer, and Pune law student Sharmistha Panoli has been nabbed from Haryana's Gururam for allegedly making controversial remarks criticising Bollywood celebrities for their 'silence' on 'Operation Sindoor.' Panoli's now deleted video had 'derogatory and disrespectful" comments aimed at a particular religious community, police said. Users flooded the comments section of Sharmistha's Instagram post prompting her to delete the video and issue a public apology. Following an FIR that was lodged in Kolkata, late Friday night, the Kolkata Police tracked her down and arrested her in Gurugram, Haryana. As per the Kolkata Police, all attempts were made to serve notice, but Sharmistha Panoli was found absconding on every occasion. She was produced in Alipore Court on Saturday, and has been taken into custody by the police. Sharmistha Panoli is a 22-year-old law student, enrolled at Pune's Law University, reported PTI. She currently has over 80,000 followers on both Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). Following the immense backlash that her viral video spurred, Panoli deleted the post, and issued a public apology on X. She even deleted all the posts from her Instagram handle, but in her May 15 story highlight, she issued an 'unconditional apology', stating she 'never intentionally wanted to hurt anybody." Sharmistha Panoli's apology on Instagram The controversy centering Sharmistha Panoli's comments began on May 14, 2025, when the Instagram influencer posted a video responding to a Pakistani follower's question about India's military reaction to the Pahalgam terror attack. In her response, Panoli reportedly made derogatory remarks about Islam and Prophet Muhammad, triggering a wave of online outrage. She also criticised Bollywood celebrities, for their 'silence' on Operation Sindoor, mentions multiple media reports. #ArrestSharmishta also started trending on X, after Panoli's video went viral. As per police sources, the FIR against Panoli was lodged under sections 196(1) (a) promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste, or community, 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class of citizens), 352 ( intentional insult with the intent to provoke a breach of peace), 353(1)(c) (statements that incite public mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, reported HT.
