NEW DELHI: Bombay high court on Tuesday rapped the Maharashtra government for arresting a 19-year-old college student over a post on Operation Sindoor . Calling the state government's reaction "radical", it questioned why the student was treated as a "criminal" when she had already apologised for the post.
A vacation bench of Justices Gauri Godse and Somasekhar Sundaresan directed the teen's lawyer to promptly file a bail application, assuring that it would be granted the same day.
"The girl has posted something and then realised her mistake and apologised. Instead of giving her a chance to reform, the state government has arrested her and turned her into a criminal," PTI quoted the bench saying.
"Someone is expressing their opinion, and this is how you ruin her life? A student's life has been ruined," it said.
"How can the state arrest a student like this? Does the state want students to stop expressing their opinions? Such a radical reaction from the state will further radicalise the person," the court said.
The bench criticized the college for expelling the girl, emphasizing that educational institutions should focus on reform rather than punishment. The court noted that their role extends beyond academics to guiding students toward personal growth, and the girl should have been given a chance to explain her side.
"Instead of reforming her and making her understand, you have turned her into a criminal. You want the student to turn into a criminal?" the court said.
The girl, on May 7, reposted an Instagram post from the account 'Reformistan' that criticized the government for allegedly provoking war with Pakistan. Within two hours, she deleted the post, acknowledging her mistake after facing a flood of threats.
Despite this, the college issued a rustication letter on May 9, saying that she had brought disrepute to the institution and claimed she held "anti-national sentiments," posing a risk to campus and society. Currently held in Pune’s Yerwada Prison under judicial custody , her bail plea was recently denied by a local court.
A vacation bench of Justices Gauri Godse and Somasekhar Sundaresan directed the teen's lawyer to promptly file a bail application, assuring that it would be granted the same day.
"The girl has posted something and then realised her mistake and apologised. Instead of giving her a chance to reform, the state government has arrested her and turned her into a criminal," PTI quoted the bench saying.
"Someone is expressing their opinion, and this is how you ruin her life? A student's life has been ruined," it said.
"How can the state arrest a student like this? Does the state want students to stop expressing their opinions? Such a radical reaction from the state will further radicalise the person," the court said.
The bench criticized the college for expelling the girl, emphasizing that educational institutions should focus on reform rather than punishment. The court noted that their role extends beyond academics to guiding students toward personal growth, and the girl should have been given a chance to explain her side.
"Instead of reforming her and making her understand, you have turned her into a criminal. You want the student to turn into a criminal?" the court said.
The girl, on May 7, reposted an Instagram post from the account 'Reformistan' that criticized the government for allegedly provoking war with Pakistan. Within two hours, she deleted the post, acknowledging her mistake after facing a flood of threats.
Despite this, the college issued a rustication letter on May 9, saying that she had brought disrepute to the institution and claimed she held "anti-national sentiments," posing a risk to campus and society. Currently held in Pune’s Yerwada Prison under judicial custody , her bail plea was recently denied by a local court.
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