The High Court of Tripura ordered the police to refrain from prosecuting a man who was earlier arrested over a social media post. Chief Justice Akil Kureshi also barred the police from making any further arrest in connection with the case.

The court passed the order on Friday after lawyers moved the court against the arrest and harassment of a Congress youth activist Arindam Bhattacharjee over his post on a social media platform. Mr. Bhattacharjee had in his Facebook page criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party’s online campaign in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act.

“If you call 8866288662, all your data would go to hackers,” he had commented in his post, prompting the BJP’s IT Cell to respond with a police complaint.

The Chief Justice in his order broadly remarked that posting on social media was tantamount to a “fundamental right” applicable to all citizens, including government employees.

The police then erased Sections 120(B) and 153(A) of the IPC from the First Information Report to quash the case.

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