A 19-year-old student of Information Technology from Pune’s Sinhgad Academy of Engineering was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on Tuesday after spending over two weeks in jail for an Instagram post about “Operation Sindoor.” The student had been arrested by Kondhwa police on May 9 after an FIR was lodged accusing her post of “disturbing public peace” by allegedly invoking religious tension in the context of Indo-Pak relations.
The college, acting swiftly after the FIR, rusticated her the same day. The student’s plea, filed through advocate Farhana Shah, challenged both the arrest and rustication, citing lack of opportunity to be heard and her immediate deletion of the post and issuance of an apology.
Court Raps Authorities for “Shocking” Conduct
Terming the state’s response as “absolutely shocking,” a vacation bench of Justices Gauri V Godse and S Sunderesan observed that the action appeared “bent upon ruining her life.” The judges questioned why the student had been treated like a criminal, despite being remorseful and having deleted the post.
The bench stated, “This is an age to make mistakes and rectify. You are treating her like a criminal… Educational institutions should not do this.” It further noted that the rustication letter was issued in haste and without giving the student a chance to explain.
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Slamming the invocation of “national interest” by the authorities, the bench reminded the state lawyer that a young woman’s social media mistake cannot justify derailing her education and future. “What kind of conduct is this? Someone expresses something—you want to ruin the life of a student?” the bench questioned in open court.
Bail, Exam Access, and a Message for Reform
The court directed her immediate release from Yerawada Central Jail and ordered the issuance of her exam hall ticket. While the case remains under investigation, the student was asked to cooperate with the police and was barred from leaving the state without the court’s permission.
The bench emphasized that the student has “already faced consequences” and should be reformed, not criminalized. The HC also asked the police to ensure her safety during exams, given the reactions her case has triggered on social media.
As the case proceeds, the Bombay HC’s strong words have sparked national discourse on the limits of institutional and state power over students’ voices online—and whether one mistaken post deserves a criminal record.