‘Do Not Enter Pampa’, Says Kerala HC As It Grants Conditional Bail To ‘Activist’ Rehana Fathima 

Rehana Fathima, the ‘activist’ known for being a vocal proponent of implementing the Supreme Court’s judgment on allowing women’s entry into the Sabarimala Temple, has been granted bail by the Kerala High Court today (14 December) after she was arrested for ‘hurting religious sentiments’ through her social media posts, reports The New Indian Express.

The bail is conditional on Fathima not making any further remarks or posts which could hurt religious feelings. The high court also directed her to not enter within the limits of the Pampa police station.

Previously, her bail application had been rejected by the Pathanamthitta Chief Judicial Magistrate Court on 4 December. Fathima, who has been under judicial custody since 27 November, had contended that continuing her detention was not necessary in the matter. She stated that the allegations against her did not detail the creation of communal disharmony or enmity.

The case against her stems from a photograph she had posted on Facebook where she could be seen dressed up in black clothes as a Lord Ayyappa devotee. Subsequently, police had filed an FIR against her under Section 295, which relates to ‘deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage reli­gious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or reli­gious beliefs’.