Two men arrested over an Instagram reel expressing support for Iran have secured bail from the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which found little substance in the accusations used to justify their detention. The Court observed that the material cited by police did not indicate any attempt to provoke hostility between communities.
The case stemmed from a complaint filed after a short video circulated online allegedly showed the two men voicing support for Iran amid tensions in West Asia. Authorities booked them under provisions relating to promoting enmity between groups and took them into custody in early March.
While reviewing the matter, the Court noted that the content of the reel, even if taken at face value, amounted to a political expression tied to an international issue rather than a statement targeting any community within India. The order pointed out that the words spoken in the clip did not reveal any intent to incite hatred based on religion, language, or other protected grounds.
The Bench also raised concerns about the manner in which the case was registered. According to the Court, the police appeared to have acted without adequate material to establish the ingredients of the alleged offence. The absence of supporting evidence, it remarked, weakened the basis of the FIR itself.
Consequently, the Court directed that both accused be released on bail upon furnishing personal bonds of ₹50,000 each, along with one surety of the same amount. They have also been instructed to appear before the trial court on all scheduled dates and comply with the procedural conditions laid down under the relevant provisions of criminal procedure.
With that, the Court underscored a familiar principle: expressions tied to foreign political developments, without more, cannot automatically be treated as a threat to communal harmony within the country.
