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Marathi actor arrested for Facebook post against Sharad Pawar

It’s been criticised as yet another blow to free speech online.

The Maharashtra Police has arrested Marathi actor Ketaki Chitale on May 14 over her alleged derogatory social media post against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, The Hindu reported. The 29-year-old television actor had posted a sarcastic Marathi poem on her Facebook profile, attributed to another person, that not only mentions the Pawar surname and an age (80) but also refers to Pawar's physical ailments. On May 15, a Thane court remanded Chitale to police custody till May 18. Meanwhile, 21-year-old pharmaceutical student and former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker Nikhil Bhamre from Nashik, was detained for tweeting: "Time has come for Baramati’s Gandhi……to create Nathuram Godse of Baramati." While Bhamre's post doesn't name Pawar either, Baramati in Pune district is Sharad Pawar’s hometown. These two posts sparked massive outrage among NCP workers in Maharashtra with party leaders lodging complaints at several police stations in the state, as per The Hindu report. Leaders and activists from across political lines have condemned Chitale's remarks and questioned the state of the freedom of speech in India, including former chief minister and state BJP head Devendra Fadnavis as well as Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, the report added. [embed]https://twitter.com/dattaameet/status/1525736592522248192?s=12[/embed] What are the charges against Chitale? Chitale was arrested under the following sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC): Section 500: This section is concerned with punishment for defamation. It reads, "Whoever defames another shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or…

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