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The Maharashtra government has informed the Bombay High Court that it would not arrest actress Ketaki Chitale in 21 of 22 FIRs registered against her reported Times of India. Chitale was arrested in May 2022 for sharing an allegedly derogatory social media post against Nationalist Congress President Sharad Pawar.

The report notes that, a division bench of Justices Nitin Jamdar and N R Borkar were informed that a total of 22 FIRs have been lodged against Chitale. She was arrested by Thane Crime Branch and was booked under IPC Sections 500 (defamation), 501 (printing or engraving defamatory matter) and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups).

After the social media post controversy, the Navi Mumbai police opened a 2020 complaint against her under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

Chitale was arrested for both the offences. A Thane court on June 16, 2022 granted bail to Chitale in the 2020 case, she could however, not be released owing to the FIR on the alleged derogatory post on Sharad Pawar.

Again, a Thane Court, on June 22, 2022 granted bail to Chitale.

It is to be noted that, yesterday, Bombay High Court bench of Justices Nitin Jamdar and NR Borkar granted bail to Nikhil Bhamre, the student who was arrested for nearly 38 days for posting an alleged derogatory tweet against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar.