The Allahabad High Court on Thursday granted bail to a man who was arrested in May last year for allegedly posting ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ on his Instagram account after the Pahalgam attack [Faizan v State of UP].While granting relief to the accused, Justice Arun Singh Deshwal restrained him from posting any objectionable content on the internet. “The applicant will not upload any objectionable post on social media which is against the reputation of the country or against any community,” one of the bail conditions said.The Court warned that breach of any of the conditions shall be a ground for cancellation of the bail..The accused was booked by Etah police last year under various provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including the erstwhile offence of sedition. However, his counsel argued that though his post may have been objectionable, Section 152 of BNS was not attracted as he had not posted anything which is derogatory and disrespectful to India.“Merely supporting an enemy country will not itself come under the purview of Section 152 BNS,” the counsel said.It was further submitted that the accused has been in jail since May 3, 2025 and if granted bail, he will not misuse the liberty. However, the State opposed the plea..Considering the nature of offence, evidence, complicity of the accused and taking into account overcrowded jails and heavy pendency of criminal cases before the trial courts, the High Court granted bail to the accused. "Let the applicant- Faizan, involved in the aforementioned crime be released on bail, on his furnishing a personal bond and two sureties each in the like amount, to the satisfaction of the court concerned," it ordered..Senior Advocate NI Jafri with advocate Sadrul Islam Jafri represented the accused.Advocate Rakesh Kumar Mishra represented the State..[Read Order].Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.
