Mumbai/Pune, May 29 (PTI) A Pune engineering student, who was arrested for a social media post critical of the government’s “Operation Sindoor” and later released on bail, appeared for her semester examination on Thursday under heightened security, her lawyer informed the Bombay High Court.
Advocate Farhana Shah, representing the student, informed a vacation bench of Justices Gauri Godse and Somasekhar Sundaresan that her client was released from jail Tuesday night, pursuant to the court’s directives.
“The college issued her the admit card on Wednesday and she has appeared for the exam scheduled on Thursday,” Shah informed the bench.
“No further directions are required now. The matter shall be placed before the regular bench on June 9,” the bench concluded.
The development comes after the High Court on Tuesday sharply criticised the Maharashtra government for its “absolutely shocking” and “radical” response to the student’s post and her subsequent arrest.
The court had ordered the immediate release of the 19-year-old, originally from Jammu and Kashmir, from Pune’s Yerwada Central Jail, asserting that the police were “bent upon ruining her life” and intent on turning her into a “hardcore criminal.” The court had also suspended the rustication order issued by her institution, Sinhgad Academy of Engineering, allowing her to sit for her ongoing second-year semester examinations.
The student had missed two papers and two practical examinations during her period in prison and the court has advised that she could apply to her college and the affiliated Savitribai Phule Pune University for special permission to reappear for the missed exams.
On Thursday morning, the girl along with a family member, reached the college which had made special arrangements for her to appear in the exam.
Her uncle, who accompanied her to the college, said she appeared for the exam till 12.30 pm.
“Special arrangement was done by the college authorities. A separate room was allocated to her where she appeared for the exam. She finished her paper at 12.30 pm and after that we returned home,” her uncle told PTI.
The college – Sinhgad Academy of Engineering’s principal Kishor Patil said the girl gave her exam in a different room.
“A separate supervisor will be assigned for her exams and two security guards, one male and one female, will accompany her on the campus for her safety,” Patil said.
Asked about the papers she has missed, her uncle said the family will see what decision Savitribai Phule Pune University takes in this regard.
The High Court, while granting bail to the student on Tuesday, had specifically instructed the college management to make special security arrangements due to concerns for her safety.
The controversy originated on May 7 when the Bachelor of Engineering (Information Technology) student shared a post on Instagram from an account named ‘Reformistan,’ which criticised the government in the context of “Operation Sindoor,” an operation targeting terror sites in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan.
Although she quickly realised her error, deleted the post, and apologised for reposting it, the Kondhwa police in Pune registered an FIR on May 9 and subsequently arrested her.
She was then remanded to judicial custody and lodged at Yerwada prison, and her college immediately rusticated her. The student then approached the Bombay High Court, challenging both her rustication and the FIR. PTI SPK/SP SKL BNM
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