A man from Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, who was arrested in October 2025 for allegedly posting “I Love Muhammad” on Instagram, has been granted bail by the Allahabad High Court after spending approximately seven months in jail.
The court observed that the accused had no prior criminal record and that the social media post did not target any specific caste or community. The bail was granted on 6 May 2026 by Justice Rajiv Lochan Shukla.
According to The Hindu, the accused, identified as Nadeem, was arrested following an FIR registered at a Muzaffarnagar police station. His counsel argued before the court that he had been falsely implicated and that the trial was unlikely to conclude soon, which contributed to the bail plea.
The court, while granting bail, specifically noted that the Instagram post in question did not mention or refer to any particular caste or community. Details provided indicate that the judge took into account the absence of criminal antecedents and the nature of the post before making the decision.
Justice Rajiv Lochan Shukla stated that, “the applicant does not have any criminal antecedents” and that the post “does not name any particular caste or community.” The accused had been in jail since 7 October 2025, and the court considered the duration of incarceration as a relevant factor in granting bail. Coverage revealed that the bail order was issued after the court reviewed the arguments and the case file.
The court observed, “the applicant does not have any criminal antecedents and the post does not name any particular caste or community.”
The bail application highlighted that the accused was unlikely to interfere with the investigation or influence witnesses. Reporting indicated that the prosecution did not present evidence of prior offences or risk of absconding, which further supported the bail decision.
The case drew attention to the application of criminal law in social media contexts. The court’s order did not address the merits of the underlying charges but focused on the bail criteria, including the length of pre-trial detention and the absence of aggravating factors. The bail was granted with standard conditions, and the accused is required to cooperate with the ongoing trial as details emerged.
Note: This article is produced using AI-assisted tools and is based on publicly available information. It has been reviewed by The Quint's editorial team before publishing.