“Heavens won't fall” says Calcutta High Court; interim bail plea of Influencer Sharmistha Panoli denied

New Delhi (India) June 3: Sharmistha Panoli, a law student, was denied interim bail by the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday. Panoli challenged the Trial Court's remand order that had placed her in judicial detention for 14 days in her appeal. She had apparently made a demeaning video at the time of Operation Sindoor which targeted individuals based on their religious identity.

Panoli, a Symbiosis Law School student, is accused of making derogatory comments against Prophet Muhammad on X and Instagram. Panoli apologised and removed offensive content from the social networking platform 'X' after facing criticism for the remarks. On May 15, 2025, a formal complaint was filed against her and on May 17, 2025, warrants were issued and she was arrested.

Justice Partha Sarathi Chatterjee, who denied the interim bail said," Look, we have freedom of speech, but that doesn't mean you will go on to hurt others. Our country is diverse, with people from different castes, creeds, and religions. We must be cautious by saying this. So, day after tomorrow. Heavens will not fall.”

“This video was made on social media, it was heard, and this incident has led to a section of people's sentiments being hurt” regarding the case.

The High Court also said, “Sentiments of a section of the people of our country have been hurt. We have freedom of speech, but that does not mean you hurt the sentiments of others. Our country is full of diversity."

According to Panoli's lawyer Md Samimuddin, her arrest was unlawful because the charges included in the FIR were non-cognisable and she had not received the required notice before her arrest under the BNSS.

The state counsel claimed that the notice had been sent and Panoli and her family had "fled" to Gurgaon thus making it impossible to catch them. It was stated that the Kolkata Police had transported her to Kolkata after presenting her to the magistrate in Gurgaon, who granted a three-day remand. 

The High Court said that the primary case registered in Kolkata will be considered the principal case as it was filed first. The court ruled that all of the previous cases that were brought against her would be dismissed.

According to the statement, West Bengal police has been directed to ensure that no other FIRs are filed against Panoli on the same charges, and the investigating agency would continue its inquiry in the original case against her.

It has also been reported that the man who filed the FIR against the social media influencer to the police arrest has gone missing. According to the father of complainant Wajahat Khan, he hasn't been seen since Sunday evening. He claimed that since Sharmishtha's arrest, family members had been receiving threatening phone calls.

Aadrika Tayal