‘Pre-trial detention can’t be indefinite’: HC grants bail in pro-Pak post case

Prayagraj: Stating that pre-trial detention cannot be indefinite, the Allahabad high court has granted bail to a man accused of uploading “anti-India, anti-Modi and pro-Pakistan posts” on social media.A bench of Justice Rajiv Lochan Shukla passed the order on May 25 while allowing the bail plea of Tahir Mewati, a resident of Bulandshahr district.Hearing the bail plea, the HC observed: “The charge against the applicant is grave. However, it cannot denude him of his rights guaranteed under Article 21 (right to life and personal liberty) of the Constitution. 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.”An FIR had been registered against Mewati at Salempur police station in Bulandshahr under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. This was his second bail application after an earlier plea was rejected by another bench of the HC on July 28, 2025.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.According to the prosecution, Mewati allegedly operated a Facebook account that was used to upload visuals and captions purportedly defaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi and promoting pro-Pakistan views.The prosecution claimed that digital evidence linked Mewati to the account. It cited the recovery of a mobile phone allegedly used to operate the profile, IP address logs traced to his residence, connected email IDs and phone numbers, along with metadata and login timestamps, as evidence establishing his involvement.However, Mewati’s counsel contended that the Facebook account was fake and had been created by someone else to malignhis reputation.