Calcutta High Court Orders Police Protection For Sharmistha Panoli Over Threats Faced Due To Social Media Posts

The Calcutta High Court, in its order granting bail to law student Sharmistha Panoli, has directed the Kolkata Police to provide her with protection due to threats faced over certain social media posts allegedly insulting Islam, which had led to her initial arrest.

Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury, in granting bail to Panoli, stated that due to the gravity of the offence, her tender age, and that her electronic devices had been seized, there was little possibility for her to tamper with evidence. He noted that there was no need for any further custodial interrogation in her case.

It was also observed that Sharmistha had been facing threats due to the nature of her posts, and thus the court ordered that the Kolkata Police may provide her protection against potentially threatening instances.

"I am of the view that the police authorities should afford proper police protection to the petitioner. The police must enquire into the above complaint and file a report, as regards the progress of the investigation before the Court when the matter is taken up next," the court said.

Background

Panoli, a law student at Symbiosis Law School, had posted allegedly offensive remarks in a video on social media, targeting people based on their religious identity, which had subsequently gone viral.

After receiving backlash over the statements, she deleted the content and published an apology on the social media platform 'X', but was arrested in Gurugram. An FIR was registered against her on May 15, 2025 and warrants were issued just two days later on May 17, 2025.

Panoli's counsel argued that her arrest was illegal since the offences disclosed in the FIR were non-cognisable and that she had not been served any notice before arrest, which would have been mandatory under the BNSS.

Click here to read order