Pune student arrested over ‘Operation Sindoor’ post appears for exam; gets bail
The 19-year-old J&K student, jailed over a social media post on ‘Operation Sindoor’, appeared for her Pune college exam under tight security after Bombay HC ordered her release, calling the police action “shocking.” Court said, they are to close to spoil in =.
Amritpal Singh Sanhotra 
An engineering student from Pune, who was arrested for a social media post critical of “Operation Sindoor” earlier this month and later released on bail, appeared for her semester examination on Thursday under heightened security, her lawyer informed the Bombay High Court.
The 19-year-old student, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir, was lodged at Pune’s Yerwada Central Jail following her arrest on May 9. Advocate Farhana Shah, representing the student, informed a vacation bench of Justices Gauri Godse and Somasekhar Sundaresan that her client was released from jail Tuesday (May 27) night, pursuant to the court’s directives.
“The college issued her the admit card on Wednesday, and she has appeared for the exam scheduled on Thursday,” Shah informed the bench. On Thursday morning, the girl, along with a family member, reached the college which had made special arrangements for her to appear in the exam.
Her uncle, who accompanied her to the college, said, “Special arrangements were made by the college authorities. A separate room was allocated to her where she appeared for the exam.”
The HC had earlier criticised the Maharashtra government for its “absolutely shocking” and “radical” response to the student’s social media post and her subsequent arrest. It asserted that the police were “bent upon ruining her life” and intent on turning her into a “hardcore criminal” and ordered the immediate release of the student.
The student had missed two papers and two practical examinations during her period in prison, and the court has advised that she could apply to reappear for the missed exams. The court has also allowed her to sit for her ongoing second-year semester examinations. The controversy originated on May 7 when the Bachelor of Engineering (Information Technology) student shared a post on Instagram from an account named ‘Reformistan’, which criticised the government in the context of ‘Operation Sindoor’.
Although she quickly deleted the post and apologised, the Kondhwa police in Pune registered an FIR and subsequently arrested her on May 9. She was then remanded to judicial custody and lodged at Yerwada prison, and her college immediately rusticated her. The student then approached the Bombay HC, challenging both her rustication and the FIR.
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