The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted conditional bail to West Bengal BJP functionary Priyanka Sharma who was arrested on May 10 for allegedly posting a morphed picture of state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Facebook. “Subject to Priyanka Sharma tendering an apology in writing for putting up an objectionable picture on Facebook account, she shall be immediately released. At the time of release, she shall tender an apology in writing,” a vacation bench comprising Justices Indira Banerjee and Sanjiv Khanna said in its order. The court also issued notice to West Bengal police over the way the 25-year-old was taken into custody. Sharma’s plea was mentioned before the bench for an urgent hearing on Monday. However, the bench had agreed to hear it today. Senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul, appearing for Sharma, had yesterday submitted that due to an ongoing strike by lawyers in West Bengal, there was no legal remedy available to her in the state and therefore he had to approach the apex court. Sharma, convenor of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s youth wing in Howrah, had on May 9 posted a picture of actor Priyanka Chopra at the recent Metropolitan Museum Gala in New York with Banerjee’s face allegedly superimposed on the actor’s.
