India, July 16 -- A Pune court has granted bail to an NCP (SP) office-bearer, stating that criticism of the government or the chief minister, by itself, cannot be construed as "waging war" against the nation.

Every citizen has the right to comment on, compliment and criticise the government's actions, Additional Sessions Judge B D Kulkarni said on Tuesday while allowing NCP (SP) functionary Mahadev Balgude's bail plea.

Balgude, the state head of the social media wing of Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), was arrested in April this year on charges of circulating morphed photos of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on social media platforms and also posting content allegedly sympathetic to Naxalites.

Among other sections, Balgude was b...