After court denies anticipatory bail, ex-TISS student arrested over GN Saibaba campus event

The nine students were booked for allegedly raising slogans seeking the release of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, who are behind bars since 2020 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The police had claimed that the two also possessed downloaded books and other material that the prosecution said reflected “Maoist ideology”.

The students denied these charges, arguing there is no evidence to support such grave allegations. The 30-year-old former student was arrested from the Chembur area soon after his plea was rejected.

The Trombay police had in October 2025 filed an FIR naming nine persons in the case, which was later transferred to the Mumbai Police Crime Branch. According to the FIR, based on a complaint by the TISS associate dean, around 10-12 students gathered between 7.30 pm and 8.30 pm on October 12, 2025, at the Deonar campus without permission to pay homage to Saibaba. The event included placing Saibaba’s photographs on a tree and reading his poems, the police said.

The students, aged 21-30, were booked for offences including promoting enmity between religious, caste or community groups, making statements prejudicial to national integration, and unlawful assembly.

Additional Sessions Judge V B Bohra, who rejected the pleas of two former students on Friday had said: “No doubt G N Saibaba came to be acquitted of charges levelled against him and, therefore, act of paying homage to him by accused persons cannot be termed as illegal. However, the act of accused persons appeared to be not limited to paying him homage. They even allegedly raised slogans in the nature of releasing Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam from jail, who are facing trial for an offence under UAPA i.e. unlawful activities against the Nation.”

Khalid and Imam, former JNU students, have been in custody since 2020 in connection with the Northeast Delhi riots conspiracy case under the UAPA. The Supreme Court has rejected their bail pleas. Saibaba, a former Delhi University professor, was convicted in 2017 on allegations of being a Maoist but was acquitted by the Bombay High Court in 2024. Wheelchair-bound due to a 90 per cent disability caused by polio, he spent nearly a decade in jail before his acquittal and died seven months after his release.

While rejecting the pleas on Friday, the Mumbai court had also said: “In other words, such slogans were not made in a public agitation or procession. The Hon’ble Apex Court had been pleased to reject bail applications of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. Being students, it was expected from accused persons to respect the Law of Land.”

The students had denied raising any slogans or giving any speeches and had said that the institute has presented no such evidence for these claims in the FIR.

Their lawyer Vijay Hiremath had argued that permission from the institute for the gathering had not been sought because it was a spontaneous gathering and not a large-scale event. He further argued that the downloaded books did not establish any affiliation to Maoist ideology and were freely available for purchase.