TISS ex-student moves Bombay High Court, seeks pre-arrest bail: ‘Can destroy my career’

A 24-year-old former student of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) sought anticipatory bail from the Bombay High Court on Thursday, claiming there is "absolutely no evidence" linking him to pro-Umar Khalid, Shajeel Imam slogans during a campus gathering. The ex-student, accused of hosting the event at TISS without permission, fears the case could "scar him for life" and "destroy his career and hopes to earn a livelihood."

Rejecting the allegations, he maintains his constitutional right to read books of any ideology, stating that possessing and downloading such literature does not make him an author or affiliate him with any organization. The matter will be heard by a single-judge bench on August 14. On August 8, a Sessions Court denied bail to the ex-student and another 30-year-old former student, both arrested earlier that week.

The TISS case originated from an October 2025 FIR registered against nine individuals after a complaint from the TISS associate dean. The complaint alleged that around 10-12 students assembled at the Deonar campus to pay homage to GN Saibaba, a former professor whose conviction in a Maoists link case was later overturned. GN Saibaba, who was wheelchair-bound and spent nearly a decade in prison, died seven months after his release.

The Sessions Court held that paying homage to Saibaba is not illegal, but the allegations that the two students raised pro-Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam slogans deserved rejection of their anticipatory bail plea. Advocate Vijay Hiremath argued that a similar event in October 2024, also commemorating Saibaba's contributions, did not warrant permission-seeking, as the institute would not object.