Arrest over Facebook post
A page from the Facebook website is seen in Singapore May 11, 2011. [Representational Image]Reuters

The Supreme Court on Friday gave four weeks' time to the Uttar Pradesh government to explain the circumstances under which a Class XII student was arrested for an alleged 'objectionable' post against state minister Azam Khan on Facebook.

A three-judge bench comprising Justices AR Dave, J Chelameswar and Kurian Jospeh issued the notice to the government while hearing a please filed by law student Shreya Shingal in the matter.

The 19-year-old youth of Bareilly was arrested by the state police and a local court on Wednesday had sent him to 14-day judicial custody for the post. He was subsequented granted bail the next day, Zee Media Bureau said.

He was booked under section 66A of the Information Technology Act.

Arrests and harassment of individuals on the basis of so-called objectionable comments posted on social media had triggered outrage among people, leading to the Supreme Court issuing guidelines in 2013 that arrests in such cases can't be done with the consent of senior officers.

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