A Mumbai court has granted bail to Abhirup Paul, a former student of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), who was arrested in a case stemming from a gathering held to commemorate the death anniversary of former Delhi University professor GN Saibaba.
Paul was arrested on August 7 after a session of court rejected his anticipatory bail plea along with that of another student. The prosecution has alleged that the students raised slogans in support of jailed activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam during the gathering and possessed books.
The case relates to an event held at TISS in October 2025, when students gathered to mark Saibaba’s death anniversary. At least 10 students were booked following a complaint by the institute’s administration.
“Students gathered to read a few poems written by Professor GN Saibaba to mark his death anniversary. They gathered in a peaceful manner, read the poems, placed a few candles around a photograph of Professor Saibaba, and dispersed—all in about ten minutes,” a student told FoEJ Media.
Seven other students booked in the case were granted anticipatory bail by the sessions court.
Earlier to this, on August 8, a Mumbai Sessions Court had rejected the anticipatory bail pleas of students of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). The students were accused of raising slogans and asked to release Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam during a gathering last year. However, anticipatory bail was granted to seven other students in the case by the court. The judge distinguished two students, Kamakhya Das and Abhirup Paul, on the grounds of the material allegedly recovered from them during the investigation.
“Though the accused have not committed a criminal offense, their act, coupled with the fact of material found with the applicant accused, Kamakhya Das, certainly raises doubt about her conduct, which suggested her involvement in the alleged crime,” the court held in Das’s case as reported by the Bar and Bench.
In March 2024, the Bombay High Court acquitted Saibaba, observing that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges against him. He was subsequently released from prison. Seven months later, in October 2024, he died in Hyderabad due to post-operative complications.
