Bombay High Court Grants Bail to Pune Student Arrested Over Social Media Post on Indo-Pak Conflict, Slams State’s “Radical” Response

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted bail to a 19-year-old Pune student who had been arrested earlier this month over a controversial social media post related to Indo-Pak tensions during Operation Sindoor.

In a strongly worded ruling, the court criticized the Maharashtra government for treating the student like a “hardcore criminal” and ordered her immediate release.

A vacation bench of Justices Gauri Godse and Somasekhar Sundaresan described the state’s reaction as “absolutely shocking” and emphasized that the student should never have been arrested in the first place.

The court noted that she had promptly deleted the post, expressed remorse, and issued a public apology.

“There is no justification for keeping this young girl in custody any longer,” the bench observed, directing that she be released from Yerwada Central Prison by Tuesday evening. This, the court stressed, would ensure she could sit for her upcoming college examinations.

In addition to granting bail, the High Court also suspended the rustication order issued by her college, Sinhgad Academy of Engineering, affiliated with Savitribai Phule Pune University, and directed the institution to issue her a hall ticket so she could appear for her semester exams starting May 24.

The court said the college’s decision was rushed and taken without allowing the student an opportunity to present her side.

The student, a second-year Information Technology undergraduate, was arrested by Kondhwa police on May 7 after reposting content on Instagram from a handle named Reformistan, which criticized the Indian government for allegedly escalating hostilities with Pakistan.

Within two hours of posting, she deleted the content after facing backlash and threats. Despite her apology, an FIR was lodged, and she was taken into judicial custody.

Originally, the student approached the High Court challenging her rustication. However, on Tuesday, her lawyer, Arhana Shah, also filed a petition seeking bail and the quashing of the FIR.

The court granted bail and allowed her to resume her academic activities, while also cautioning her to exercise greater responsibility in the future when posting online.

“What the student did, at worst, was an act of youthful indiscretion,” the bench said, criticizing both the state and the college for escalating the situation.

“She made a mistake, realized it, and apologized. Instead of encouraging reform, the state machinery turned her into a criminal.”

The court expressed serious concern about the broader implications of such a heavy-handed approach. “Is this how the police intend to deal with students? Has the state forgotten its responsibility to guide rather than punish young minds?” the bench asked.

Responding to the state’s argument — represented by Additional Government Pleader P.P. Kakade — that the post was against national interest, the court said, “National interest is not compromised by a single social media post from a teenager who has already shown remorse.”

The court also rebuked the college administration, emphasizing that an educational institution’s role is not merely to deliver academic content but also to foster understanding and encourage reform in young people.

“You rushed to label her anti-national without even giving her a chance to explain,” the bench said. “Instead of counseling and supporting a student, you’ve pushed her toward criminal proceedings.”

The student had claimed in her petition that the college’s rustication order was arbitrary, unlawful, and a violation of her fundamental rights.

She argued that there was no malicious intent behind her post and that she had already taken swift action to delete it.

The court concluded that the student had already suffered enough — emotionally, academically, and socially — and reminded the authorities that youth must be treated with compassion and understanding, not targeted with disproportionate punishment.

With the High Court’s intervention, the student is now expected to be released and allowed to continue her education while the legal proceedings around the FIR continue.