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Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Why a Pune student's jail time for a deleted post should scare anyone who values free speech
Earlier this month, a 19-year-old engineering student in Pune found herself at the centre of a storm. She had reposted an Instagram story from the handle Reformistan, which criticised India's role in Operation Sindoor . Within hours, she deleted the post and issued a public apology after receiving threats. But that wasn't the end of the matter; it was just the was rusticated by her college without being given a chance to explain herself. Two days later, she was arrested and sent to Yerwada Central Prison, Pune. The charges invoked against her included offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS), such as Section 196 (promoting enmity between groups), Section 197 (assertions prejudicial to national integration), and Section 299 (outraging religious feelings), among others.
Hindustan Times
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
HC raps college for rusticating student over post on ‘Op Sindoor'
MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Tuesday directed the state government to immediately release the 19-year-old engineering student from Pune who was arrested for allegedly posting objectionable content on social media regarding the recent military conflict between India and Pakistan. The court termed her arrest 'shocking' and ordered the university to allow her to appear in the ongoing examination. The student had approached the high court through advocate Farhana Shah, seeking redressal against the college's 'arbitrary and unlawful' decision to rusticate her on May 9, 2025. She was subsequently arrested and remanded in judicial custody, and her bail application was rejected by a judicial magistrate in Pune. According to the student's petition, she had merely re-posted a message on Instagram from a user named 'Reformistan'. The post read: 'Without a single shred of evidence for Pak's involvement at Pahalgam, the fascist Indian regime has just initiated war between 2 nuclear states by bombing 3 major civilian areas in Pakistan. This Hindutva-terrorism is right out of the Israeli playbook. India has been vehemently scapegoating Pak for its own failure in Occupied Kashmir due to India's colonisation of the region. This fanatic Islamophobic terrorism that India has displayed is grotesque. May sense, justice and humanity prevail. War serves no one'. Though the 19-year-old had reposted the message without any ill-intent, she was subjected to public humiliation and casteist abuse within and outside the college campus, the petition stated. Although she deleted the post following the controversy, she was rusticated from the college, which claimed she had anti-national sentiments and posed a risk to the campus community and society. Her post had also brought disrepute to the college and the decision to expel her was aimed at preserving the institution's 'ethos', the college claimed. The student's counsel submitted before the court that the college's action appeared to have been influenced by prevailing political and public sentiments rather than any objective assessment of facts or adherence to due process. Some individuals had made inflammatory remarks against her and branded her with derogatory and communal terms. The situation was further aggravated by the organisation of rallies and public demonstrations targeting the student, the lawyer said. The division bench of justices Gauri Godse and Somasekhar Sundaresan observed that while the student had already faced consequences, the college's decision to rusticate her was ruining her life as a student. 'Somebody expresses something, and you want to ruin the life of the student? How can you rusticate,' the bench said. 'We are of the opinion that rustication is hurriedly issued without giving an opportunity to the petitioner to respond to such action. Hence, prima facie we find the order of rustication is required to be suspended.' The court also directed the college to allow the student to appear for the remaining exams, saying, 'What is the purpose of an educational institution? Is it only to educate academically? You need to reform a student or make a student into a criminal? Let her appear for the remaining three papers.' When the state's counsel mooted that the student be allowed to appear for the exams with police escort, the court remarked, 'She isn't a criminal. She cannot be asked to appear with the police around her. She has to be released.' The court then directed the police to provide her with security and asked the college to allocate a separate classroom to her, if possible, for writing the exams.
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
'Turned into criminal': HC raps Maharashtra government for arresting 19-year-old over Operation Sindoor post
NEW DELHI: Bombay high court on Tuesday rapped the Maharashtra government for arresting a 19-year-old college student over a post on Operation Sindoor . Calling the state government's reaction "radical", it questioned why the student was treated as a "criminal" when she had already apologised for the post. A vacation bench of Justices Gauri Godse and Somasekhar Sundaresan directed the teen's lawyer to promptly file a bail application, assuring that it would be granted the same day. "The girl has posted something and then realised her mistake and apologised. Instead of giving her a chance to reform, the state government has arrested her and turned her into a criminal," PTI quoted the bench saying. "Someone is expressing their opinion, and this is how you ruin her life? A student's life has been ruined," it said. "How can the state arrest a student like this? Does the state want students to stop expressing their opinions? Such a radical reaction from the state will further radicalise the person," the court said. The bench criticized the college for expelling the girl, emphasizing that educational institutions should focus on reform rather than punishment. The court noted that their role extends beyond academics to guiding students toward personal growth, and the girl should have been given a chance to explain her side. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Your IQ Is 140 If You Can Answer 10 Of These Questions Correctly IQ International Undo "Instead of reforming her and making her understand, you have turned her into a criminal. You want the student to turn into a criminal?" the court said. The girl, on May 7, reposted an Instagram post from the account 'Reformistan' that criticized the government for allegedly provoking war with Pakistan. Within two hours, she deleted the post, acknowledging her mistake after facing a flood of threats. Despite this, the college issued a rustication letter on May 9, saying that she had brought disrepute to the institution and claimed she held "anti-national sentiments," posing a risk to campus and society. Currently held in Pune's Yerwada Prison under judicial custody, her bail plea was recently denied by a local court.
Hindustan Times
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Pune teen arrested for posting ‘Pakistan Zindabad' on social media moves HC for bail
MUMBAI: A 19-year-old engineering student from Pune, arrested earlier this month over a social media post allegedly supportive of Pakistan during heightened Indo-Pak tensions under Operation Sindoor, has approached the Bombay High Court seeking bail to appear for her upcoming examinations. The student has also filed a separate petition challenging her college's decision to rusticate her, calling it 'arbitrary' and a 'gross violation' of her fundamental rights. She was in the second year of her engineering programme at a college in Pune. According to the petition, the student was arrested on May 19 after she allegedly shared a message on Instagram ending with the phrase 'Pakistan Zindabad.' The controversial post was reportedly a repost from a social media account named 'Reformistan'. The student stated that she was 'influenced by features circulating on social media' and deleted the post following counselling by her parents. The student's counsel argued that she was in the middle of her practical examinations when she was publicly humiliated and handed a rustication letter by the college, without being given a chance to explain her side. Her plea challenges the procedural fairness of the college's disciplinary action, citing a violation of the principles of natural justice. The Kondhwa police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against her under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including, section 152 (acts endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India), section 196 (promoting enmity between different groups), section 197 (imputations or assertions prejudicial to national integration), section 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), section 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), section 353 (statements conducing to public mischief.) A vacation bench of justices Gauri Godse and Somshekhar Sundaresan heard the bail plea on Monday and scheduled the matter for further hearing on May 26.
