Ranchi: The local court in Ranchi on Tuesday (July 16) asked a 19-year-old, Richa Bharati, to distribute five copies of the Quran as punishment for posting a communal message on social media. The court added that the bail would be granted solely based on this condition.

According to reports, the judicial magistrate, Manish Kumar, directed Richa Bharti to donate four copies of the holy book to the libraries of different schools and colleges, and one other copy to be handed over to Anjuman Islamia Committee.

Earlier on Saturday (July 13), Richa Bharti, a first-year student from a local college in Ranchi, was arrested after a case was registered against her for allegedly sharing objectionable communal content on social media that outraged a minority community in their locality.

After her arrest, several Hindu outfits hit the streets staging protests and condemning the 19-year-old girl's arrest, while demanding her immediate release. The agitation came to a halt after Ranchi rural superintendent of police (SP) Ashutosh Sekhar reconciled.

The court granted bail to Bharti only after the two communities respectively displayed their consent in the court.

The 19-year-old's lawyer, Ram Pravesh Singh assured that the order of the court would be abided within 15 days, a deadline set by the court.

However, several Hindu organisations and political leaders expressed their displeasure on the unusual decision of the Ranchi court.