Cal HC grants interim bail to arrested social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday granted interim bail to social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli, who was arrested by Kolkata Police for allegedly uploading a video with communal comments. The court held that the complaint against her does not disclose any cognisable offence. Panoli, a law student, was arrested from Gurugram in Haryana last week, after an FIR was filed against her at the Garden Reach Police Station in Kolkata in the wake of a viral video where she made controversial remarks criticising Bollywood actors on Operation Sindoor.

The police had maintained that her now-deleted video had “derogatory and disrespectful” comments against a minority community. The bench of Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury ordered that she be enlarged on bail bond and security of Rs 10,000, and directed her to cooperate with the investigation into the case. The court also directed her not to leave the country without its permission. The high court further directed the police to provide protection to Panoli, as she complained of having received threats following her social media post.