Court grants bail to man accused of posting communal content on social media

Mumbai, Dec 26 (PTI) A magistrate court here on Friday granted bail to a man who was arrested for allegedly posting inflammatory and communal content on social media.

The court acknowledged the allegations against the accused were serious, but held there was "nothing further to be recovered' from him.

It also noted that enough time has been given to police for investigating the matter.

Accused Rahul Bagchi was booked under sections 196 (promoting hatred or enmity between different groups), 299 (outraging the religious feelings) and 302 ( wounding someone's religious feelings) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) as well as relevant provisions of Information Technology (IT) Act.

As per police, on December 21, the accused uploaded a video to his Facebook account intended to promote enmity between religious groups and outrage religious feelings.

The defence, however, said Bagchi had been falsely implicated and that someone else used his Facebook account to upload the video.

The prosecution had opposed the plea, saying the offences were of a serious nature.

The court, after hearing both the sides, said the investigation was complete and allowed the bail plea on Personal Recognizance (PR) Bond of Rs 15,000. It also directed the accused not to influence witnesses or tamper with evidence.

He must cooperate with the ongoing investigation and remain present whenever called by the police, the court said.

The other conditions include not traveling abroad without the court's prior permission. PTI AVI BNM