Student held for post on Indo-Pak conflict released from Pune jail  

It was an emotional reunion for a teen student with her family as she walked out of jail on Tuesday night after having spent over a fortnight behind bars for her social media post criticising the Indian government amid the Indo-Pak conflict.

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The 19-year-old student of engineering was granted bail by the Bombay High Court which had made scathing remarks against the Maharashtra government for "being bent upon ruining her life" and turning her into a "hardcore criminal".

The court had also pulled up the girl's college -- Sinhgad Academy of Engineering -- for issuing a rustication order against the girl "hurriedly" without giving her an opportunity to explain herself.

The high court suspended the rustication order and directed the authorities at the Yerwada central jail, where the girl was lodged, to release her forthwith on Tuesday itself.

Pursuant to the order, the student, originally from Jammu and Kashmir, was released from the jail around 9.30 PM on Tuesday after all formalities were completed, her lawyer Farhana Shah said.

Her family members were present outside the jail for the emotional reunion and wished to stay away from the media glare and made only general statement that they had faith in the Constitution and the legal system of the country.

The controversy began on May 7 when the student, pursuing a Bachelor of Engineering (Information Technology) degree, shared a post on Instagram from an account named 'Reformistan.'  However, realising her mistake, she deleted the post and also apologised for reposting it.

Despite her deleting the post swiftly, the Kondhwa police in Pune registered an FIR against her on May 9 and arrested her.

She was later sent to judicial custody at Yerwada prison. The college also rusticated her immediately.

Challenging her rustication and seeking quashing of the FIR, the student approached the Bombay High Court.

On Tuesday, the High Court strongly condemned the government's response, labeling it "absolutely shocking" and "radical."  The court ordered her immediate release to allow her to appear for her ongoing semester examinations and directed the Sinhgad Academy of Engineering to provide her with a hall ticket and, if necessary, arrange security and a separate classroom for her exams.

The police were also instructed to ensure adequate protection for the student when she attends college, addressing her expressed fears.

Kishor Patil, principal of the engineering college, said the institute has issued the girl the admit card. "The college has issued the admit card to the student on Wednesday. She will be appearing for the exam tomorrow," he said.

The principal, however, refused to elaborate on whether any special classroom or arrangements have been made for the girl during the exams.

She had missed two papers due to her arrest and sought permission from the High Court to take them as a special case but the college said that the decision rested with the Pune-based university, prompting the court to permit her to file an application with the university for this purpose.

The High Court questioned the college's "hurried" approach, saying that its role should be to reform, not punish, the student.

The court stressed that she should not have been arrested in the first place especially given her prompt deletion of the post and expressing remorse, and apology.

The college's May 9 rustication letter cited "disrepute to the institution," "anti-national sentiments," and a "risk to the campus community and society" as reasons for its decision.

While cautioning the student to act responsibly in the future, the High Court reserved its sternest remarks for the state's handling of the sensitive situation.