Calcutta High Court Grants Interim Bail to Sharmistha Panoli, Asks Police To Ensure Her Security

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday, presided over by Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury, granted interim bail to Sharmistha Panoli, a 22-year-old law student and social media influencer. Panoli was arrested by the Kolkata Police on May 30, 2025, in Gurugram, Haryana, and had been in judicial custody since Saturday, May 31, following her transit remand to Kolkata. The court’s decision came after a hearing where the bench considered the fact that she is a young student with impending new semester. The court imposed three conditions for Panoli’s bail: she must surrender her passport, cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation, and furnish a bail bond of Rs 10,000. But incase there arises any need to travel abroad to pursue her education and career then she can take permission by approaching the appropriate court.

Panoli faced charges of hurting religious sentiments by using derogatory comments on Islam and Prophet Mohammad, a video which had posted and had later deleted due to backlash. The First Information Report (FIR) was registered on May 15, 2025, at Garden Reach Police Station in Kolkata, following a complaint by Wajahat Khan Quadri. The video sparked significant controversy, leading to her arrest and judicial custody until June 13, as ordered by a lower court. She issued a public apology on social media, expressing regret for her remarks. The Calcutta High Court vacation bench on Tuesday had denied her any interim relief while making it clear that while “we have freedom of expression but that doesn’t mean that we use that freedom to hurt the religious sentiments of others”. The High Court on Tuesday had reminded her that “India is a diverse country”.

Additionally, after granting her interim bail, the court directed the Kolkata Police to provide adequate protection to Panoli due to reported threats against her. The bench of Justice Raja Basu Choudhury had taken strong cognisance of the online threats that were directed towards her after the controversial video, calling them disgraceful and outraged the modesty of a woman. The bench also noted that the arrest warrant issued against her appeared ‘mechanical’ and lacked proper evaluation of whether a cognizable offence was committed.

Panoli’s counsel, Advocate DP Singh, argued that her arrest was unjust, emphasising her cooperation with authorities and her health issues, including kidney stones and Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). “The court prim facie has felt that the complaint doesn’t indicate a cognizable offence. The girl had herself deleted the video, regretted too. The family wasn’t absconding and they have visited the police head quarter during the time they were accused of being absconding. They themselves had been under threat. The police had arrested her may be to please a certain section”, said Sr Advocate DP Singh.

Her father, Prithviraj Panoli, expressed relief at the court’s decision, stating, “No father wants his daughter to be in jail.” He further added that Sharmistha possibly used profanity as a marketing tool. “This is used as a marketing tool by many. Even she thought that this could make her famous. I will advise her to be cautious and there are lessons learnt”, he added by evading any direct response if Sharmistha Panoli will consider joining politics in the future. Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) leaders including Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari called the interim bail a victory while calling it a failure of Mamata Banerjee government.