Pune student held for Operation Sindoor post and later granted bail appears for exam

The High Court had earlier pulled up the Maharashtra government over the student’s arrest, describing the police action as “absolutely shocking” and an overreaction aimed at “ruining her life”

A 19-year-old engineering student from the city, who was arrested earlier this month over a social media post about the government’s “Operation Sindoor”, appeared for her semester exam on Thursday under security cover, her lawyer informed the Bombay High Court.

The court also stayed the rustication order issued by Sinhgad Academy of Engineering, where she is a second-year student, allowing her to take her remaining exams. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)

Advocate Farhana Shah, representing the student, told a vacation bench of Justices Gauri Godse and Somasekhar Sundaresan that her client was released from Yerawada Central Jail on Tuesday night, in line with the court’s directions.

“She received her admit card on Wednesday and was able to appear for the exam on Thursday,” Shah said.

The court noted that no additional directions were needed and posted the matter before a regular bench on June 9.

The High Court had earlier pulled up the Maharashtra government over the student’s arrest, describing the police action as “absolutely shocking” and an overreaction aimed at “ruining her life.”

The court also stayed the rustication order issued by Sinhgad Academy of Engineering, where she is a second-year student, allowing her to take her remaining exams.

The student had already missed two written papers and two practicals while in custody. The bench noted that she can approach her college and Savitribai Phule Pune University to seek permission to reappear for those missed exam papers.

On Thursday morning, she arrived at the exam centre with a family member. “College authorities arranged a separate room for her, and she completed the exam by 12.30 pm,” her uncle said.

Sinhgad Academy principal Kishor Patil confirmed that the student appeared for her paper in a different classroom.

“A dedicated supervisor has been appointed and two security guards—one male and one female—will remain with her on campus to ensure her safety,” he said.

The student, originally from Jammu and Kashmir, had shared a post on May 7 from an Instagram account named ‘Reformistan’ that criticised the Union government’s military action in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. She took down the post shortly afterwards and issued an apology, but a complaint was still filed against her at Kondhwa police station on May 9. She was arrested and sent to judicial custody before moving to the Bombay High Court to challenge both her rustication and the FIR.

(With agency inputs)