The Supreme Court granted anticipatory bail to Bhojpuri singer Neha Singh Rathore in a case linked to her tweets about PM Narendra Modi, Bihar elections and communal politics. The Court made her earlier interim protection from arrest permanent while the case proceedings continue.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to Bhojpuri singer and social activist Neha Singh Rathore in a criminal case registered against her over certain social media posts about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Bihar elections and issues relating to Hindu-Muslim politics.
A Bench comprising Justices JK Maheshwari and AS Chandurkar made permanent the interim protection from arrest that had earlier been granted to Rathore. With this order, the Court ensured that she would not be arrested in connection with the case while the legal proceedings continue.
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The case arose from a First Information Report (FIR) registered in Lucknow in 2025 after Rathore made certain posts on social media following the Pahalgam terror attack. In those posts, she questioned the political narrative surrounding the attack and criticised the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to the FIR, Rathore had alleged in her posts that Prime Minister Modi visited Bihar and warned Pakistan in order to gain political advantage during the elections. She also suggested that the BJP was attempting to influence voters by raising issues related to nationalism and religious divisions, particularly Hindu-Muslim and India-Pakistan sentiments.
Following the registration of the FIR, Rathore initially approached the Allahabad High Court seeking to quash the case. However, the High Court refused to grant her relief. She subsequently moved the Supreme Court with a similar request to set aside the FIR, but the top court also declined to interfere at that stage.
After failing to get the FIR quashed, Rathore again approached the Allahabad High Court, this time seeking anticipatory bail to protect herself from arrest in the case.
On December 6, 2025, the Allahabad High Court rejected her anticipatory bail plea. While denying relief, the High Court observed that the social media posts were made at a sensitive time soon after the terror attack and referred to the Prime Minister in a manner the court considered inappropriate.
The High Court also rejected Rathore’s argument that her posts were merely an exercise of her constitutional right to free speech. The court noted that the tweets had referred to the Prime Minister in a “disrespectful” manner and were made during a critical period following the terror incident.
Challenging this decision, Rathore approached the Supreme Court and sought anticipatory bail.
On January 7, the Supreme Court issued notice on her plea and granted her interim protection from arrest while the matter was being considered. This meant that she could not be arrested during the pendency of the case before the Court.
During the hearing on Tuesday, the Bench decided to make this interim protection permanent. By making the earlier relief absolute, the Supreme Court effectively granted anticipatory bail to Rathore in the case.
With this order, Rathore will continue to remain protected from arrest in connection with the FIR filed against her over the controversial social media posts. The legal proceedings in the case, however, may continue in accordance with law.
Case Title:
Neha Singh Rathore @ Neha Kumari Versus State of Uttar Pradesh and Ors.
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