NEW DELHI: The Calcutta high court on Thursday granted interim bail to social media influencer and law student Sharmishtha Panoli, nearly a week after her arrest for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through an Instagram video. Panoli was arrested on May 30. The high court directed Panoli to furnish a bond worth Rs 10,000.The 22-year-old, who was taken into custody by Kolkata Police from Gurugram last Friday, had been sent to judicial custody by a local court in Kolkata till June 13. However, her legal team moved the high court seeking relief, arguing that the case was a matter of free speech and that Panoli had already removed the controversial video and issued an apology.Her counsel, Md Samimuddin, said the court directed the state to ensure Panoli receives basic amenities while in custody, noting that such provisions were currently lacking. “The High Court has also instructed the authorities not to register any fresh FIRs on the same cause of action,” he added. The arrest stemmed from a complaint filed by Wajahat Khan Qadri at the Garden Reach police station in Kolkata. He accused Panoli of sharing “communal” content in a video discussing Bollywood’s silence on ‘Operation Sindoor’. However, police have since registered an FIR against Qadri himself for allegedly posting inflammatory content online. He is now absconding, officers confirmed.Sharmishtha’s arrest sparked backlash from legal circles. Manan Kumar Mishra, Chairman of the Bar Council of India, called it a “grave miscarriage of justice” and accused the West Bengal government of selectively enforcing laws based on community identity.