Law student and influencer Sharmistha Panoli, who was arrested for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through her comments on social media released from Alipore Women’s Correctional Home after she got an Interim Bail from the Calcutta High Court in Kolkata on June 6, 2025
| Photo Credit: ANI

On Friday (June 6, 2025) afternoon, influencer Sharmistha Panoli stepped outside the Alipore Jail in Kolkata and was set free. She was granted bail in the hate speech case by the Calcutta High Court on Thursday (June 5, 2025) after the Kolkata Police arrested her on May 30 from Gurugram, Haryana. 

Her father was seen at the Alipore Women’s Correctional Home picking her up on Friday afternoon around 3 pm and left the premises in a car escorted by police. 

On Thursday, the vacation bench of Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury of the Calcutta High Court granted her bail for a bond of ₹10,000. She was also asked to cooperate with the investigation and not leave the country other than for educational purposes which will be reviewed by the court in case such a situation arises. 

The court also asked the police to offer her protection because her counsel stated that the young woman was receiving rape and death threats after her arrest. She had also reported that she was feeling unsafe inside the prison and encountered hygiene issues. 

“The State is also directed to ensure that no further case and/or FIR is registered arising out of the same cause of action and/or similar set of allegations against the petitioner,” the court order stated. The Justice also asked the police to investigate the threats that Ms Panoli has received and file a report with the court.  

Her counsel said that Ms Panoli had paid the bond and hence she was released after the legal process was over. 

“I am of the view that custodial interrogation of the petitioner is not necessary… It is made clear that the I.O. (investigating Officer) shall not unnecessarily summon the petitioner and provide adequate notice and also would be conscious that the petitioner is pursuing her studies from Symbiosis Law School, Pune,” Justice Chowdhury further added in his order. 

Symbiosis Law School suspended Ms Panoli for three months after the video of her making communal comments went viral and she was arrested. Her counsel said that she will return to college next semester in compliance with the suspension. 

Ms. Panoli’s father told mediapersons that her daughter was a ‘proud Hindu’ and they had got support from multiple Hindu organisations. “We are grateful to the organisations and people who supported her,” he said after her bail. 

Reacting to her release, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said justice was served. “This is a case of police atrocities on an innocent young woman for using her freedom of speech and expression. This is yet another example of police eagerness to please their political masters,” Mr. Adhikari said in a post on X.

On May 15, a case was lodged against her at the Garden Reach police station in Kolkata under several sections, including those pertaining to malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings. This came after she posted a video on social media and made communal comments and made claims about Operation Sindoor which the Kolkata Police noted as ‘hate speech’ and asked people not to confuse that with ‘freedom of speech’. She did this as a reaction to the Pahalgam attack which left at least 26 people dead in Jammu and Kashmir. 

Ms. Panoli had deleted the video the same day and tendered an unconditional apology on social media.