2 min readBengaluruMar 18, 2026 03:57 PM IST
The Karnataka High Court has granted bail to a 25-year-old woman arrested for shouting “Jai Bangla” during a demolition drive in Anekal taluk of Bengaluru Urban district. The court said she shouted the slogan after being instigated by another person.
The woman, identified as Sarbhanu Khatun, a native of Nandigram in West Bengal, was arrested by the Hebbagodi police after a video from the demolition site in Jigani Hobli went viral on social media.
The police invoked provisions under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 152 (acts endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India), section 196 (promoting enmity between groups), section 197(1) (imputations prejudicial to national integration), and section 353(1) (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant).
A sessions court had rejected Khatun’s bail plea by citing the gravity of the charges. She subsequently approached the high court.
During the hearing in the high court, the defence argued that the video relied upon by the prosecution did not support the allegations and suggested that the woman had been instigated to shout slogans. It also pointed to alleged procedural lapses, including a lack of verification of the video and non-compliance with arrest procedures. The state opposed the plea, submitting that the charges were serious.
In its March 11 order granting bail, the high court referred to the sequence of events detailed in the complaint and observed, “The averments of the complaint indicate that the authority was clearing the sheds which were constructed unauthorizedly in the government land. The said process was being captured by one of the persons. At that time, a person had instigated the petitioner herein to shout a slogan as ‘Jai Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. However, she called ‘Jai Bangla’ and thereafter, again, she shouted the slogan as ‘Jai Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ thrice.”
The court further noted, “Having considered the facts and circumstances of the case and also the fact that she is having two minor children and she has to take care of them, it is appropriate to grant her bail by imposing suitable conditions that would take care of the apprehension of the prosecution.”
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