‘Keep off social media for 2 months’: Court grants bail to 18-year-old

The student, a resident of Aswar village of Bhind district, was arrested on June 23 for allegedly beating a local shopkeeper.

The Gwalior bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court has granted bail to an 18-year-old student on the condition that he will have to keep away from social media for two months and plant five trees, a government lawyer said on Saturday.

The court put a special condition of digital detoxification so that the student could concentrate on his studies. (Getty images)

Harendra Tyagi, a resident of Aswar village of Bhind district, was arrested on June 23 for allegedly beating a local shopkeeper and was booked under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 294 (using obscene language), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 329 (Voluntarily causing grievous hurt to extort property). Tyagi was arrested and taken into judicial custody on June 24, police said.

Harendra Tyagi’s advocate Sushant Tiwari filed the bail application on the ground that Tyagi is aged 18 years and is a bright student.

“Tyagi secured 75% marks in class 12 in 2019. Tyagi is preparing for Pre-Agriculture Test (PAT) to take admission in the agriculture college.The test has been postponed due to Covid-19 and will be organised in coming months, and if he was not granted bail, it would spoil his future. Looking at the challenging time of Covid-19 pandemic situation, his case was sympathetically considered. Even otherwise, he learnt the lesson hard way and would mend his way and would become a better citizen,” said Tiwari.

In his order, the judge said, “Applicant shall remove himself from the WhatsApp and Facebook group and other Social Media groups for next two months and would not be present on any social media platform at all for two months for digital detoxification for personal reasons or for other reasons, otherwise bail shall be considered withdrawn. Every month the applicant shall have to submit a report about his digital detoxification at the concerned police station and any default shall dis-entitle him from benefit of bail. Applicant shall complete his study of PAT.”

Kori said, “He was granted bail on furnishing personal bond of Rs 50,000 with other conditions, including plantation of five trees.”