The Bombay High Court denied anticipatory bail to a Pune schoolteacher accused of sharing inflammatory WhatsApp content, including a burning national flag and derogatory remarks about the Prime Minister. Justice R.N. Laddha held that such acts could disturb public order and communal harmony, warranting custodial investigation. Citing relevant BNS provisions and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, the court stressed that freedom of speech under Article 19(1)(a) is subject to reasonable restrictions. It also emphasized teachers’ heightened responsibility as role models, noting that anticipatory bail is an exceptional remedy not justified in this case.

The Supreme Court has placed a limited stay on the Bombay High Court’s 7/11 Mumbai train blasts acquittal judgment, stating it cannot be used as a precedent in other cases. A bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and N. Kotiswar Singh balanced the acquitted individuals’ liberty with the State’s concerns about the ruling’s wider impact on MCOCA trials. While the acquittals remain, the Court will hear Maharashtra’s appeal later. The High Court had earlier acquitted all 11 accused, citing investigative lapses and unreliable evidence. The Supreme Court’s move quarantines the ruling’s legal effect without reversing the acquittals.