The engineering college student is 19 years old. She studies in a private engineering college in Pune, Maharashtra, India. She criticized the Narendra Modi government over Operation Sindoor. She was arrested and expelled from the college for that 'crime'. She was released on bail on Tuesday on the orders of the Bombay High Court.
A division bench of two High Court judges, Gauri Godse and Somashekhar Sudarshan, strongly criticized the state government and the educational institutions concerned, saying, "A girl made a mistake. She even admitted her mistake. Where can you explain to her what is right or wrong? They are treating her as if she is a convicted criminal."
The judges said that this treatment of the student was extremely shocking. They told the state government, "You cannot ruin a student's life like this."
While ordering the release of the student on bail from Pune's Yarada Jail yesterday, the judges said that there should be no delay in her release. She should be released on Tuesday so that she can appear for the exams.
Just as the BJP government in Maharashtra arrested the student for her comments on social media about Operation Sindoor, the BJP-ruled Haryana and Delhi Police arrested Ali Khan Mahmudabad, a professor at Haryana's Ashok University. Last week, the Supreme Court granted Ali Khan interim bail. His bail was extended on Wednesday.
Ali Khan was arrested on May 18. Khadija Sheikh, a second-year IT engineering student at a private college in Pune, was arrested on May 9. She received death threats after criticizing the government over Operation Sindoor on social media.
Khadija posted a critical post on May 7. She withdrew the post the next day. A day later, the Maharashtra Police arrested her. Immediately after the arrest, the college authorities expelled her. The reason given was that Khadija Sheikh had tarnished the reputation of the college. She had put her community and society at risk by expressing anti-national sentiments.
Khadija approached the High Court to protest her arrest. Despite the summer vacation, the vacation judges of the High Court granted her bail and sharply criticized the state government and the college authorities.
The judges said that if the state behaves in such a radical manner, radicalism will increase in society. Someone's life cannot be ruined like this just because they expressed their feelings.
The judges said that the student is not a criminal. Besides, the job of educational institutions is not just to provide textbook education, but to provide real good education. It is not to make anyone a criminal.
Responding to Khadija's plea, the High Court has allowed her to sit for the exam. It has ordered that arrangements be made for Khadija's exam to be conducted without police guard.
