Gujarat HC grants conditional bail to Chennai woman engineer held for hoax bomb threat emails
In an oral order made available on Thursday, Justice Nikhil S Kariel granted conditional bail to Joshilda, 30, stating that the "court is of the opinion that this is fit case to exercise the discretion and enlarge the applicant on regular bail".
According to the case of the prosecution, Joshilda deliberately created fake ids in the name of Prabhakar, who she had been in a relationship with, in a bid to implicate him after their relationship allegedly turned sour.
NOTING THAT the ‘bomb threat’ emails sent by a Chennai-based robotics engineer, Rene Joshilda, to multiple institutions in Gujarat was the act of “a disturbed person”, and committed following “dispute in a relationship with third party”, the Gujarat High Court has granted conditional regular bail to Joshilda in the case registered at the Bopal police station in Ahmedabad.
In an oral order made available on Thursday, Justice Nikhil S Kariel granted conditional bail to Joshilda, 30, stating that the “court is of the opinion that this is fit case to exercise the discretion and enlarge the applicant on regular bail”.
Considering the submissions made by Joshilda’s lawyer as well as the prosecution, which had opposed bail, the oral order of the court says, “The allegation against the applicant being of having sent anonymous emails to various organisations, alleging that there are bombs kept in the organisations concerned, which had resulted in unnecessary harassment to the police machinery and to the organisations concerned… yet, it would appear that the applicant appears to be a disturbed person… more particularly, it would appear that the alleged crime may have been committed by the applicant following some dispute in a relationship with third party…”
The order also notes that Joshilda had been in custody since June 28 this year, when she was arrested from Chennai. Considering that the chargesheet had been filed in the case and that the sessions court had released her on bail in similar offences, it also mentions that the applicant is “a lady accused”.
The order also says, “The authorities will release the applicant only if she is not required in connection with any other offence for the time being. If breach of any of the above conditions is committed, the sessions court concerned will be free to take appropriate action in the matter.”
Joshilda has been granted bail on a bond of Rs 10,000 and with conditions that the accused shall not take undue advantage or misuse liberty and “not act in a manner injurious to the interest of the prosecution”. Joshilda has also been directed to surrender her passport to the lower court within a week and furnish details of her present residence with the police, which cannot be changed without intimating the police.
Joshilda has been accused of allegedly sending bomb hoax emails to the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad, Geneva School in Sarkhej in Ahmedabad, B J Medical College and Divya Jyoti school as well as the Gujarat High Court between May and June. Some of the threats were sent in the name of Divij Prabhakar. According to the case of the prosecution, Joshilda deliberately created fake ids in the name of Prabhakar, who she had been in a relationship with, in a bid to implicate him after their relationship allegedly turned sour.
Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.
Expertise:
Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including:
Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground.
Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure.
Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case).
Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions.
Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read More
