The Supreme Court has dismissed the bail plea of Haryana YouTuber Jyoti Rani, alias Jyoti Malhotra, arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan and sharing sensitive information with ISI operatives.
“We are not inclined to interfere with the impugned judgment and order of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana at Chandigarh rejecting the petitioner’s (Jyoti’s) application for bail; hence, the Special Leave Petition is dismissed,” a Bench led by Justice Dipankar Datta said in its June 5 order.
Terming the charges against her as “very serious”, the Bench, which also included Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, dismissed her petition challenging the March 7 order of the High Court. The court had dismissed her bail plea, saying that the material on record disclosed a prima facie case against her.
Her counsel urged the top court to release her on bail, contending that she was a travel blogger whose work and online activities were open, public and transparent and that there was no concrete evidence to prove she spied for any country. However, the court dismissed her plea, noting that national security considerations had to be given due weight.
As her counsel submitted that she had been in custody since May 16, 2025, and had no criminal antecedents, the court said these points would be examined during the trial.
It took note of the fact that she had visited Pakistan and met officials to conclude that no case for grant of bail was made out.
The YouTuber, who ran a channel ‘Travel-with-Jo’, was arrested by the Haryana Police on May 16, 2025, for allegedly sharing confidential information with Pakistani intelligence operatives. She has been booked under various provisions of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and Section 152 of the BNS.
