Latest news with #SharmisthaPanoli
NDTV
14-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Talk But With Care: On Freedom Of Speech, Supreme Court Advises Restraint
New Delhi: Freedom of speech and expression is important but citizens must exercise restraint, the Supreme Court said today while hearing an appeal over a controversial post on X. The petition was from Wajahat Khan, who had complained against social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli over her communal videos on social media on Operation Sindoor. But he was arrested by the Kolkata police when his communal tweets made earlier surfaced. Several police cases were also filed against him across the country. He had approached the Supreme Court seeking that the cases against him filed across six states -- including Assam, Bengal, Maharashtra, Haryana and Delhi -- be scrapped or clubbed together. "We are talking about citizens! If they want to enjoy freedom of speech and expression, there has to be some restraint. They can't abuse freedom this way," Justice BV Nagarathana said today, referring to the larger issue of citizens misusing and abusing freedom, which, he said "clogs" the legal system. "Why can't citizens regulate Themselves? They just press a button and everything is posted online... It an abuse of the freedom," he added.
India Today
23-06-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Hate speech gets us nowhere: Top court halts Wajahat Khan's arrest outside Bengal
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the arrest of Wazahat Khan, the main complainant in the case against social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli, in all FIRs registered against him outside West Lal Mitra, Khan's advocate, told India Today, 'All the FIRs have been stayed by the honourable Supreme Court. The apex court has also said, no coercive action can be taken against him until further order.'advertisementA bench of Justices KV Viswanathan and N Kotiswar Singh passed the interim order and issued notices to the Union government and the states of Assam, Delhi, Haryana, and West Bengal, asking them to respond to Khan's plea seeking consolidation of FIRs registered against him in multiple states. The matter will now be heard on July 14. During the hearing, Justice Viswanathan made strong oral observations on the nature of Khan's posts. 'There's a famous Tamil saying, a wound inflicted by fire may heal, but not a wound inflicted with tongue,' he said. The judge also remarked, 'These hate speeches lead us nowhere,' and said that incitement to violence need not always be physical, it can be verbal too. 'Does it have to be physical violence? Or can it be verbal also? It need not be just physical violence,' he Khan has been booked in various states for allegedly posting content on social media that incited hatred and communal disharmony. He is already in police custody in one FIR and in judicial custody in another, both filed in West Kolkata police arrested Khan on June 9 based on the FIR filed there. However, police from other states such as Assam, Maharashtra, and Haryana also sought to take his custody due to similar FIRs registered against him in their lawyers informed the court that the FIRs filed against him were in retaliation to his complaint against influencer Sharmistha Panoli, who was arrested for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through a video posted after Operation Sindoor. Panoli was later granted interim bail by the Calcutta High concern over Khan's remarks, the court said, 'We're worried about where this is heading,' and observed that such statements cannot be protected under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. Justice Viswanathan also remarked, 'All hate-mongering,' after hearing that Khan had deleted the posts and apologised before the FIRs were Advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu, appearing for Khan, told the court that Khan is 'perhaps reaping what he has sown' and is only seeking consolidation of FIRs. He clarified that Khan has already apologised and is cooperating with the investigation.- EndsWith inputs from ANI and Watch
India Gazette
23-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
SC notice to states on plea of Wazahat Khan, complainant against influencer Sharmistha Panoli
New Delhi [India], June 23 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to Centre and certain states on a plea filed by Wazahat Khan, the man whose complaint led to the arrest of influencer Sharmistha Panoli, seeking clubbing of FIRs lodged against him across multiple states for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through his social media posts. A vacation bench of Justices KV Viswanathan and N Kotiswar Singh issued notices to the government of Assam, West Bengal, Delhi and Haryana and posted the matter for hearing on July 14. 'These hate speeches lead us nowhere,' said Justice Viswanathan to Khan's counsel. On request of Khan's counsel, the bench further ordered that as an interim measure till the next hearing date, no coercive action shall be taken against him for the FIRs registered or may be registered, which are similar. The bench noted that Khan was arrested in two cases registered in West Bengal and was in police custody in the FIR registered by the Golf Link Police Station, Kolkata, and was remanded to judicial custody in the other Bengal FIR. Justice Viswanathan invoked a saying that wounds inflicted by fire may heal, but not the wounds inflicted by the tongue. During the hearing, Khan's lawyer said that cases have been registered against him nationwide in retaliation for his complaint against the social media influencer Panoli. Khan is 'reaping as he has sown' but he has apologised for the tweet, after having 'learnt the lesson the hard way', said the counsel. Khan, whose complaint led to influencer Sharmistha Panoli's arrest on May 30, was himself arrested on June 9 in Kolkata's Amherst Street area. Multiple FIRs were filed against Khan, including one in Assam, for 'allegedly spreading hatred on social media and hurting religious sentiments,' according to Kolkata Police officials. Panoli had posted a video on social media and allegedly made communal comments after Operation Sindoor, after the Pahalgam attack, which left at least 26 people dead in Jammu and Kashmir. (ANI)
United News of India
10-06-2025
- United News of India
Influencer's case: Complaint likely to face local court today
Kolkata, June 10 (UNI) Wahajat Khan, arrested on Monday in connection with police action against influencer Sharmistha Panoli from Gurugram last month, is expected to be produced before a local court on Tuesday. Khan's complaint had prompted the Kolkata police to arrest Pune-based law student. Khan has been booked under BNS Sections 196(1)(a) (promoting enmity between different groups), 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), and 353(1)(c) (statements that incite public mischief). Following Sharmistha Panoli's arrest late last month, at least five complaints were filed against Khan (30), across West Bengal, for allegedly promoting hate speech and hurting religious sentiments. Panoli was released following a Calcutta high court order. She was granted interim bail in the alleged hate speech case by on June 5 after the police arrested her on May 30 from Gurugram. UNI PC PRS
India Gazette
10-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Wazahat Khan, complainant against Sharmistha Panoli, arrested by Kolkata Police
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 10 (ANI): Wazahat Khan, who had complained against social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli for posting an alleged communal video, has been arrested by Kolkata Police for allegedly spreading hatred and hurting religious sentiments, police said. According to Kolkata Police, the accused was arrested on Monday evening from Amherst Street police station in connection with a case registered against him under sections 196(1)(a), 299, 352, 353(1)(c) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) at Golf Green police station. Khan had filed a complaint against Law student Sharmistha Panoli, who was arrested by Kolkata Police from Gurugram for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through her comments on social media. Earlier, a complaint was filed against Wazahat Khan Qadri, the man whose FIR led to the Law student's arrest. Prasun Maitra, NGO president from North 24 Parganas, lodged a police complaint accusing Wazahat of repeatedly posting abusive, anti-Hindu posts on X. In his complaint to the Kolkata Police and Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Maitra said, 'This is to draw your attention to the following tweets (now deleted) by one Wazahat Khan Qadri Rashidi with the identity of X handle of @rashidi_wazahat hurting religious sentiments of millions of Hindus across the globe. The screenshots of the tweets are enclosed.' 'Your (Kolkata Police) recent activism shows that you are very much against such communally instigating posts and determined to enforce the rule of law. In view of the above, you are requested to initiate appropriate legal action against the person described above, in line with your recent activities and as per the law of the land, so that your integrity doesn't come under any question,' he said in the complaint. This came after Panoli, in an Instagram clip, allegedly made derogatory remarks towards a particular religion. She later deleted the video and issued an unconditional apology. However, she was remanded to judicial custody till June 13. On Saturday, Panoli was produced before the Alipore Court in Kolkata, which remanded her in judicial custody for 14 days. According to the Kolkata Police, several attempts were made to serve legal notices to Panoli and her family, but the attempts were unsuccessful because Panoli and her family absconded. Subsequently, the court issued an arrest warrant, based on which she was arrested from Gurugram on Friday night. (ANI)
