Cal HC grants interim bail to arrested social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli
Kolkata (PTI): The Calcutta High Court on Thursday granted interim bail to social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli, who was arrested by Kolkata Police for allegedly uploading a video with communal comments.
The court held that the complaint against her does not disclose any cognisable offence.
Panoli, a law student, was arrested from Gurugram in Haryana last week, after an FIR was filed against her at the Garden Reach Police Station in Kolkata in the wake of a viral video where she made controversial remarks criticising Bollywood actors on Operation Sindoor.
The police had maintained that her now-deleted video had “derogatory and disrespectful” comments against a minority community.
The bench of Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury ordered that she be enlarged on bail bond and security of Rs 10,000, and directed her to cooperate with the investigation into the case.
The court also directed her not to leave the country without its permission.
The high court further directed the police to provide protection to Panoli, as she complained of having received threats following her social media post.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
