Prayagraj, May 28 -- The Allahabad High Court on Thursday granted conditional bail to an accused who spent one year in prison on charges of insulting the Indian National Flag and posting pro-Pakistan content on social media.

The court's decision underscored the fundamental principle that pretrial detention cannot be punitive in nature, regardless of the severity of the allegations.

The accused, Wasik Tyagi, was arrested following an FIR registered on May 16, 2025, in Charthawal, Muzaffarnagar. The allegations against him included uploading a morphed image on Facebook depicting the Indian flag placed on a seated dog and posting content such as, "Kamran Bhatti, proud of you. Pakistan Zindabad."

The prosecution contended that these action...