No Relief For Sharmistha Panoli, Calcutta HC Directs State To Submit Case Diary

 (News Agency)-The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday denied interim relief to Sharmistha Panoli, a 22-year-old law student from Pune and a social media influencer. However, the court ordered to stay all FIRs outside the Garden Reach police station area. The court has requested for the submission of the case diary from the case, with a decision on her bail scheduled for June 5.
Panoli was arrested last month. She was detained by Kolkata Police in Gurugram for allegedly posting a video on social media site X (formerly Twitter) containing derogatory remarks about Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, which sparked widespread backlash.
Despite deleting the video and issuing a public apology, multiple FIRs were filed against her under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to promoting enmity and inciting public unrest.During the hearing, Justice Partha Sarathi Chatterjee emphasized the need for caution in public comments, stating, “In our country, people of various religions live together. Therefore, it is important to be especially cautious before making any comment through any medium, to ensure that no one is hurt."
Under the court’s directions, the FIR filed at Garden Reach will be treated as the primary case. The state has been instructed to take no further action regarding the other FIRs for now and to refrain from registering any new FIRs based on the complaint.The court said that the case diary must be submitted to it on June 5, after which the court will decide on the remaining FIRs. The hearing will continue in the courtroom of Justice Raja Basu Choudhury on the same day.Panoli’s legal team contended that her arrest was unlawful as the FIR contained non-cognisable offences, and she had not been served a notice before her arrest, as mandated under the BNSS.

In response, the state’s counsel claimed that although a notice had been issued, it could not be served because Panoli and her family had allegedly “fled" to Gurgaon.