Overview

• On June 9, Justice Rajeev Singh granted Madri Kakoti interim anticipatory bail, preventing her arrest until further hearings in the case.
• The FIR was lodged at Hasanganj police station after ABVP leader Jatin Shukla accused her of using social media posts to undermine India’s unity and sovereignty.
• Police invoked multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and Section 69A of the IT Act, the latter also used to block other online content related to the Pahalgam attack.
• Kakoti’s post had described acts like lynching or denying someone a job based on religion as terrorism, following the April 22 assault that killed 26 people and injured 17 in Pahalgam.
• Legal experts warn the outcome will shape the boundaries of free speech and government regulation of digital commentary in India.