BREAKING | Delhi Bar Council Slams Arrest Of Influencer Sharmistha Panoli: "Politically Motivated And Unjust"

Delhi Bar Council Today (June 2) urged the immediate release of 22-year-old law student Sharmistha Panoli, arrested over a now-deleted Instagram video. Legal voices condemn the move, calling it politically motivated and unjust.

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BREAKING | Delhi Bar Council Slams Arrest of Influencer Sharmistha Panoli: "Politically Motivated And Unjust"

NEW DELHI: In a recent controversy that has gone viral online, the Bar Council of Delhi has come forward in support of Sharmistha Panoli, a 22-year-old Instagram influencer and law student.

Sharmistha, originally from Kolkata and currently studying at a law university in Pune, was arrested by Kolkata Police in Gurugram on the night of May 30.

ALSO READ: Who Is Sharmishta Panoli? Law Student & Influencer Arrested for Controversial Video on Operation Sindoor

This action was taken due to a video she had posted on Instagram, which reportedly made remarks connected to “Operation Sindoor.”

After her arrest, she was brought to Kolkata and presented before a local court. The court decided to send her to judicial custody until June 13.

ALSO READ: Breaking: Influencer Sharmishta Panoli Sent to 14-Day Judicial Custody Over Op Sindoor Instagram Video

Many in the legal community and online audiences have raised concerns over the nature of the arrest and the way it was handled by the police.

Surya Prakash Khatri, the Chairman of the Bar Council of Delhi, released a statement on this matter and said,

“The Bar Council of Delhi strongly condemns the arrest of Sharmistha Panoli, a 22-year-old law student, by the West Bengal Police, over a social media video, despite the fact that she immediately deleted it and apologised, when some people found it hurtful.”

ALSO READ: Kangana Ranaut Demands Release of Influencer Sharmishta Panoli: “Don’t Try to Make the State Into North Korea”

Khatri further added,

“I, on behalf of the Bar Council of Delhi, demand the immediate release of Sharmishtha Panoli to uphold the scale of justice.”

He also criticized the actions of the Kolkata Police and called their handling of the case unfair.

ALSO READ: Hate Speech Against Prophet Muhammad: Pune Law Student Sharmistha Arrested by Kolkata Police

According to him, the arrest showed “high-handedness and unnecessary haste” and that it was an example of “selective, excessive and politically motivated action.”

Support for Sharmistha Panoli didn’t stop there. On June 1, Manan Kumar Mishra, Chairperson of the Bar Council of India, also made a public statement requesting her immediate release.

ALSO READ: BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra Slams Arrest of Law Student Sharmishta Panoli: “Blatant Assault on Freedom of Expression”

The young influencer has been charged under serious sections of the Indian Penal Code. These include promoting enmity between groups, doing acts intended to hurt religious feelings, and intentionally insulting others to provoke peace-related issues.