Allahabad HC Denies Bail To Man Accused Of Posting Content Targeting PM Modi
The bail petition was submitted by Tahir Mewati, a resident of Bulandshahr district, who is being prosecuted under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
The Allahabad High Court (HC) has recently declined to grant bail to a man accused of sharing Facebook posts that allegedly insulted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and praised Pakistan.
Terming the content as “provocative and objectionable,” the court observed that it had the potential to spark communal tensions and disrupt public order.
The bail plea was moved by Tahir Mewati, a resident of Bulandshahr district, who is facing legal action under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. He has been in judicial custody since May 14, following an FIR registered at Salempur police station by a local sub-inspector.
Digital proof collected during the inquiry—including IP address logs traced to Mewati’s residence, metadata, and a mobile phone allegedly used for operating the account—was produced in support of the prosecution’s claims.
In his defence, Mewati contended that the Facebook account was fake and had been created by unidentified individuals to tarnish his image. His lawyer claimed that he had neither uploaded nor shared any objectionable content, and sought bail citing false implication and his clean criminal background.
The High Court, however, pointed out contradictions in the applicant’s statements. While he had earlier told a lower court that “only some memes” had been shared without malicious intent, he later completely denied posting anything—an inconsistency the court said cast doubt on his defence.
Justice Sanjay Kumar Singh, who presided over the matter, remarked that the nature of the material associated with the accused was highly concerning. The court noted that the posts were not just offensive, but could “encourage a narrative harmful to national sovereignty,” and highlighted a possible “inclination towards glorifying anti-national ideas.”
The court also cited its own earlier ruling in Niyaz Ahmad Khan v. State of U.P., where it had stated that although social media is a medium for free speech, it must not be used for offensive or disruptive content. “Such individuals who deliberately engage in such acts… pose a threat to civilised society and do not deserve any leniency,” that verdict had said.
On similar grounds, the High Court ruled that there was no strong basis for granting bail to Mewati. His bail application was thus rejected.
The court clarified that its observations were confined to the bail issue and would not affect the final outcome of the trial.
