Prayagraj, May 26 The Allahabad High Court has granted bail to a man who was in jail for a year after being arrested for allegedly posting objectionable content on Facebook defaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the country.
Justice Rajiv Lochan Shukla, who allowed the bail plea filed by Tahir Mewati - a resident of Bulandshahr - on Monday without expressing any opinion on the merit of the case, said that while the charge against him is grave, the pre-trial detention cannot be indefinite.
The counsel for the accused submitted that the accused has been "falsely implicated" in the case and has been languishing in jail since May 14, 2025.
An FIR was lodged against Mewati under various sections of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita at Salempur police station of Bulandshahr district.
According to the prosecution, Mewati operated a Facebook account through which visuals and captions were posted allegedly defaming and demeaning Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The prosecution further claimed that digital evidence established Mewati's connection with the Facebook account. It relied on the recovery of a mobile phone allegedly used to operate the account and the IP address logs traced to his residence.
However, the counsel for Mewati contended that the Facebook account was fake and had been created by someone else to malign his reputation.
After hearing both sides, the high court, without expressing any opinion on the merit of the case, granted bail to the accused, observing, "The charge against the applicant is no doubt grave. However, the same cannot denude him of his rights guaranteed under Article 21 (right to life and personal liberty) of the Constitution of India."
"The applicant's pre-trial detention cannot be indefinite. Hence, taking into account all the facts and circumstances of the case, prima facie, a case for bail is made out," the court added.
