Influencer Sharmistha Panoli Granted Interim Bail By Calcutta HC, Was Arrested For Hurting Religious Sentiments

Cal HC grants interim bail to influencer Sharmistha Panoli, arrested for allegedly posting video on social media with communal comments

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 5, 2025

Who Is Sharmistha Panoli?

Sharmishtha Panoli is a 22-year-old law student enrolled in Pune Law University. She came to light through her videos on Instagram uploaded after the Pahalgam attack. While weighing in on India's action against Pakistan, she questioned several celebrities, including podcaster Ranveer Allahabadia.

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In one such video, she questioned the silence of Bollywood actors. The post was disapproved of by many, who trolled her and wrote threatening messages in the comments. The backlash and persisting rape, death threats, she deleted her video and issued an apology.

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However, a complaint had been filed against her in Kolkata by then. The complaint was followed by notices to her and her family. When she decamped with her family, a court issued an arrest warrant against her, leading to her arrest from Gurugram.