A 19-year-old engineering student from Pune, who was recently arrested over a social media post critical of the Indian government’s Operation Sindoor, has appeared for her semester examinations following her release on bail, her advocate informed the Bombay High Court on Thursday.
The student, originally from Jammu and Kashmir and enrolled at Sinhgad Academy of Engineering, had been arrested on May 9 by the Kondhwa Police under charges stemming from her Instagram repost on the account ‘Reformistan’ that criticized the government’s military operation in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The post was swiftly deleted, and the student issued an apology, but an FIR was still registered.
On Tuesday, a vacation bench of Justices Gauri Godse and Somasekhar Sundaresan granted her immediate bail and came down heavily on the Maharashtra government and the police, calling their reaction “absolutely shocking” and “radical.” The bench observed that authorities appeared “bent upon ruining her life” and cautioned against turning a student into a “hardcore criminal” over an alleged online misstep.
The court had also suspended the rustication order issued by her college, thereby allowing her to appear for her ongoing second-year B.E. (Information Technology) semester exams.
Advocate Farhana Shah, representing the student, informed the court on Thursday that she had been released from Yerwada Central Jail late Tuesday night. “The college issued her the admit card on Wednesday and she appeared for the examination scheduled for Thursday,” Shah told the court, adding that the student had missed two theory and two practical exams while in custody.
The High Court allowed the student to apply to the college and Savitribai Phule Pune University for special permission to reappear for missed papers. “No further directions are required now. The matter shall be placed before the regular bench on June 9,” the bench said.
In compliance with the High Court’s order, the college has arranged a separate classroom and a dedicated supervisor for the student’s exams. “Two security guards — one male and one female — will accompany her on campus for her safety,” said Principal Kishor Patil of Sinhgad Academy.
The case has sparked widespread concern over the criminalization of student expression and institutional response to social media activity. The student is currently pursuing the quashing of the FIR and her rustication order before the High Court.
