HC: Pune teen held for Op Sindoor post, later granted bail, appears for exam

MUMBAI: The Pune teen student, arrested for her social media post criticizing the Indian government over Operation Sindoor and later released on bail, has appeared for her semester examination under requisite security, her lawyer told the Bombay High Court on Thursday. The high court had on Tuesday slammed the Maharashtra government for its "absolutely shocking" and "radical" reaction to the engineering student's post and for arresting her.

The court ordered immediate release of the 19-year-old, originally from Jammu and Kashmir, from Pune's Yerwada Central Jail, noting the police were "bent upon ruining her life" and turning her into a "hardcore criminal".

The court had also suspended the rustication order issued by the student's college Sinhgad Academy of Engineering, and permitted her to appear for ongoing second year semester examinations.

Her advocate Farhana Shah informed a vacation bench of Justices Gauri Godse and Somasekhar Sundaresan that pursuant to the court order, the student was released from jail on Tuesday night.

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Student had missed exams, practicals

"The college issued her the admit card on Wednesday and she has appeared for the exam scheduled on Thursday," Shah said. The student had missed two papers and as many practical exams while she was in custody, she said. The court said the teenager can make necessary application to the college and the Savitribai Phule Pune University, to which the academy is affiliated, seeking special permission to reappear for the missed exams.

"No further directions are required now. The matter shall be placed before the regular bench on June 9," the bench said. The college said as per HC's directives, special arrangements have been made for the student to appear for exams. "The girl will be giving her exams in a separate classroom. A separate supervisor will be assigned for her exams and two security guards, one male and one female, will accompany her on the campus for her safety," the college's principal, Kishor Patil, said.

HC granted bail

The high court, while granting bail to the student on Tuesday, had asked the college management to make special arrangements for her keeping in mind security concerns. The controversy began on May 7 when the student, pursuing a Bachelor of Engineering (Information Technology) degree, shared a post on Instagram from an account named 'Reformistan' that criticised the Indian government amid Operation Sindoor which targeted terror sites in PoK and Pakistan.

However, realising her mistake, she deleted the post and also apologised for reposting it. Despite the teenager deleting the post swiftly, the Kondhwa police in Pune registered an FIR on May 9 and arrested her. She was later sent to judicial custody and lodged at Yerwada prison. The college also rusticated her immediately. Challenging her rustication and seeking quashing of the FIR, the student approached the Bombay High Court.