Sheela @ Sheela Powell was granted bail after a mix-up and a lot of drama over some handicraft items. Here's the scoop on what went down.
Sheela Powell was initially denied bail by the Sessions Judge in The Nilgiris. But on November 18, 2025, Justice T.V. Thamilselvi overturned that decision and allowed her to be released on bail. There was a small mistake, though. The bail order had a typo about which judge should handle the bail bond. It mistakenly said "Coimbatore" instead of "The Nilgiris." Thankfully, this was corrected!
“The appellant is ordered to be released on bail on his execution of a bond for a sum of Rs.10,000/- with two sureties...” — Justice T.V. Thamilselvi
The whole issue started when Sheela, who buys handicrafts from the Toda community, got into a spat over some embroidery products. Another group wanted to sell her similar items, which led to a complaint against her. She was accused of using caste-related insults, but she claims it was all a misunderstanding.
After hearing both sides, the court decided to grant Sheela bail. The government lawyer noted that Sheela and the complainant had a history of business dealings, and the investigation was almost done. Given these factors, the court felt it was okay to let her out on bail.
Sheela has to follow some rules while out on bail:
If she breaks any of these rules, the court can take action against her.
The court decided to let Sheela go on bail because the investigation was almost finished and she had a history of business dealings with the complainant. However, she must follow certain rules to stay out of trouble.
