Who Is Sharmishta Panoli? Law Student and Influencer Jailed Over Controversial Instagram Video
Sharmishta Panoli, a fourth-year law student and social media influencer, has been sent to 14 days of judicial custody after her arrest for sharing a controversial video that allegedly hurt religious sentiments and triggered widespread backlash online.
Who Is Sharmishta Panoli?
According to her LinkedIn profile, Sharmishta is currently in her final year at a law school in Pune. Beyond her legal studies, she is active on social media and had built a sizable following of over 94,000 on Instagram. She became known for her politically charged and commentary-style videos that often addressed social and national issues.
However, following the outrage sparked by her latest post, Sharmishta deleted all her Instagram content, including her reels and posts.
What Did She Say That Sparked the Arrest?
On May 14, Sharmishta posted a video in which she criticized Bollywood celebrities and YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia for what she described as their silence or “soft stance” on Pakistan in the wake of Operation Sindoor — India’s military response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives.
The video, now deleted, reportedly contained communally sensitive and abusive language. It was posted in response to a comment — possibly from a user in Pakistan — questioning India’s military actions. Her remarks were seen as promoting religious enmity and inciting hatred, prompting legal action.
The Arrest and Legal Action
After the video went viral and drew sharp criticism, Sharmishta issued a public apology and took down the content. However, by then, an FIR had already been filed under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for promoting enmity between religious communities and offending religious sentiments.
Kolkata Police launched a search after she failed to respond to multiple summons and was eventually located in Gurugram. Authorities claimed she and her family were evading legal notices. A court-issued warrant led to her arrest on May 31.
She was presented before the Alipore Court, where her bail plea was denied. Her lawyer argued that since all digital evidence had already been collected, judicial custody was unnecessary. The court, however, disagreed and remanded her to custody until June 13.
Kolkata Police confirmed that due process was followed and that the arrest was made in accordance with the warrant. Sharmishta now faces charges under multiple sections, including those related to promoting communal disharmony and inciting public unrest.
News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
