Mumbai Sessions Court Grants Anticipatory Bail To 7 TISS Students, Rejects Pleas Of 2 In G N Saibaba Gathering Case

Mumbai, August 7, 2026: A sessions court on Friday granted anticipatory bail to seven students of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and rejected the anticipatory bail pleas of two others who were booked after allegedly gathering to pay homage to late activist G.N. Saibaba and allegedly raising slogans demanding the release of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam.

Court Questions Conduct Of Two Students

While rejecting the pleas of Kamakhya Das and Abhirup Paul, the court observed that, generally, while paying homage to deceased persons, expressions such as “Rest in Peace” are used.

In the present case, the accused had allegedly used the words “Rest in Power (1967–Forever)”. The court said this, coupled with the material allegedly found with the accused, raised doubts about their conduct.

The court also noted that during the investigation, police had seized electronic gadgets, including laptops and mobile phones, from Das and Paul.

According to the prosecution, the devices contained copies of books published by members of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), and several contents had allegedly been deleted from them.

Books And Electronic Devices Examined

“No doubt, merely downloading books published by a Maoist organisation would not amount to an offence. However, the books, though not banned by the government, are reportedly capable of instigating or aiding the division of India. In this background, custodial interrogation of Das is necessary to ascertain her intention in downloading those books coupled with her intention in raising slogans for the release of two persons,” the court said while rejecting the pleas of Das and Paul.

The court, however, allowed the anticipatory bail applications of Uttkarsh Khuntia, Yash Kaundilya, Avantika, Ishpreet Kaur, Nikita Monica Dsouza, Hardika Bhagat, and Satyam Yadav.

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Case Registered On TISS Complaint

The students were booked on a complaint filed by the TISS administration. According to the complaint, on October 12, 2025, a group of 10 to 12 students gathered in front of a hostel on the TISS campus without prior permission from the administration.

They allegedly paid homage to Saibaba by lighting candles near his photograph, reading his poems, and displaying the message “Rest in Power (since 1967 – forever)”. The students also allegedly raised slogans demanding the release of Khalid and Imam.

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