Priyanka Sharma, a BJP Yuva Morcha leader in West Bengal, was arrested in 2019 for sharing a meme superimposing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s face onto actor Priyanka Chopra’s Met Gala photograph. The Howrah Cyber Cell registered an FIR, and she was remanded to 14 days’ judicial custody. After facing challenges in securing legal representation, Sharma approached the Supreme Court via a habeas corpus petition. The Court ordered her immediate release on bail but initially required a written apology for the meme—a condition later modified to make the apology independent of bail. The West Bengal government eventually filed a closure report before the CJM, admitting no criminal offense was substantiated. The case sparked debates about free speech, political satire, and misuse of cyber laws. The state’s concession underscored the lack of legal basis for the prosecution.
