New Delhi, Jan 7 (NationPress) The Supreme Court provided interim relief from arrest to folk artist Neha Singh Rathore on Wednesday, regarding an FIR filed in Uttar Pradesh linked to her allegedly inappropriate social media posts about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Pahalgam terror incident.

A bench comprising Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Atul S. Chandurkar issued a notice on Rathore's special leave petition (SLP) that contests the Allahabad High Court ruling which denied her anticipatory bail, while also requesting responses from both the Uttar Pradesh government and the complainant who initiated the criminal proceedings.

The court has scheduled further hearings in eight weeks and has instructed that no coercive measures should be enforced against her during this period.

Nonetheless, the bench, led by Justice Maheshwari, emphasized the necessity for Rathore to assist with the investigation and present herself to the Investigating Officer whenever called, starting January 19, warning that any non-compliance would be taken seriously.

During the hearing, the Uttar Pradesh Police accused Rathore of not cooperating, but her attorney argued that she had indeed met with the Investigating Officer the previous week.

The SLP presented to the Supreme Court is in response to the Allahabad High Court’s order from December 5, 2025, which dismissed her request for anticipatory bail in a case registered at the Hazratganj police station in Lucknow.

The FIR was filed under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including Sections 196, 197, 152, 302, and 353, as well as Section 69(a) of the Information Technology Act, 2008, based on a complaint by Abhay Pratap Singh alias Nirbheek.

The complainant claimed that Rathore made a series of objectionable posts via her X handle that could negatively affect national integrity, incite discord among communities, and were widely circulated, even reaching Pakistan.

In its controversial ruling, the Allahabad High Court noted that the tweets and posts attributed to Rathore were made at a "critical and sensitive time" following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, 2025, which resulted in the deaths of 26 tourists, characterizing the posts as targeting the Prime Minister in a "disrespectful manner".

"Although Article 19 of the Constitution of India grants freedom to all citizens, this right is subject to reasonable restrictions for public order, decency, or morality," stated the Allahabad High Court, adding that the FIR and case records suggested that the posts were against the Prime Minister and had the potential to disrupt public order.

In denying her plea, the single-judge panel led by Justice Brij Raj Singh noted that Rathore was "not cooperating with the investigation" despite previous directives, and concluded that no grounds for anticipatory bail were established.