A Kolkata court denied bail to Wajahat Khan, the complainant in the case against influencer Sharmishta Panoli. Khan, who had allegedly evaded authorities since June 1, was arrested on June 9 following multiple ignored summons and police raids.
Kolkata: Today, on June 10, a Kolkata court has rejected the bail plea of Wajahat Khan, the man who had earlier filed a police complaint that led to the arrest of 22-year-old social media influencer Sharmishta Panoli in Gurugram on May 30.
Khan, who had reportedly gone missing after Panoli’s arrest, was arrested on June 9 by the Kolkata Police following several failed attempts to summon him for investigation.
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According to police reports, he had been absconding since June 1.
An FIR was registered against Wajahat Khan at Golf Green Police Station in Kolkata. He was accused of spreading hate speech and hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindu community through his social media posts.
After registering the case, police reportedly served three summons at his residence in the Garden Reach area, asking him to appear for questioning.
However, Khan ignored the notices and did not show up for interrogation, leading to raids and eventually, his arrest.
After Sharmishta Panoli’s arrest, Wajahat Khan allegedly went missing. His father, Saadat Khan, spoke to the media during this period, stating that his son had not returned home.
He also said the family had been receiving threatening phone calls. According to Saadat Khan, the callers were accusing them of “ruining Panoli’s life.”
In a separate complaint, the Shree Ram Swabhiman Parishad approached the Kolkata Police against Wajahat Khan.
The complaint, dated June 2, was addressed to the Officer-in-Charge of the Garden Reach Police Station.
It accused Khan of using derogatory, sexually explicit, and inflammatory language aimed at Hindu deities, customs, and the entire community.
The letter claimed that Khan made offensive remarks such as referring to Hindus as “rapist cultures” and “urine drinkers.”
The complainants demanded that appropriate action be taken against him under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.
Meanwhile, Sharmishta Panoli, who was arrested for using abusive language and making communal comments targeting Muslim Bollywood celebrities in connection with their silence on Operation Sindoor, has been granted interim bail.
The court granted her conditional bail while stating specific restrictions.
As part of her bail conditions, Panoli has been strictly prohibited from leaving India without getting permission from the Chief Judicial Magistrate.
She was also ordered to deposit a security amount of Rs 10,000 with the authorities.
Earlier, the court had rejected her request for interim bail, clearly stating that
“freedom of speech is not absolute and does not allow anyone to hurt religious sentiments.”
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