Calcutta high court denies interim bail to influencer Sharmishta Panoli

The bench of Justice Partha Sarathi Chatterjee, however, directed the state to ensure that no further FIRs are registered against Panoli for the same set of allegations.

“The social media post has admittedly hurt the sentiments of a section of citizens. We have freedom of speech and expression. That doesn’t mean you will go on hurting the sentiments of others. Our nation is full of diversity. People from several communities and caste, and speaking different languages coexist. So, while making such submissions, we have to be cautious,” the court said.

Advocate VP Singh, Panoli’s counsel, moved the Calcutta high court seeking ad-interim bail for the 19-year-old law student. Senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee, who was representing the state, however, opposed the bail. The court witnessed a high-pitched argument between the two counsels.