2 TISS Mumbai students denied bail over Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam release slogans

The case relates to a gathering held at TISS on October 12, 2025, to pay homage to G N Saibaba, who died in October 2024.

In Short

• Seven other students were granted anticipatory bail by the Mumbai Sessions Court
• Court said students were expected to 'respect the law of land'
• Judge cited alleged Maoist literature and need for custodial interrogation

A Mumbai Sessions Court has rejected the anticipatory bail pleas of two students of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). The students were accused of raising slogans seeking the release of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam during a gathering on the institute's campus last year.

The court, however, granted anticipatory bail to seven other students in the case.

The two students whose pleas were rejected are a 32-year-old resident of Govandi and a 23-year-old resident of Deonar. The order was passed by Judge VB Bohra, who observed that, being students, the accused were expected to “respect the law of the land”.

The case relates to a gathering held at TISS on October 12, 2025, to pay homage to G N Saibaba, who died in October 2024. According to the FIR, around 10 to 12 students had gathered near a hostel between 7.30 pm and 8.30 pm without prior permission from the institute administration.

The police said that slogans including “Umar Khalid ko riha karo” and “Sharjeel Imam ko riha karo” were raised during the gathering. The FIR initially named nine people and others, and the investigation was later transferred from Trombay police to the Crime Investigation Department (CID).

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE TISS GATHERING?

According to the prosecution, the students arranged photographs of Saibaba, placed them on a tree, lit candles, read poems written by him and displayed placards bearing the words “Rest in Power (since 1967-forever)”.

The prosecution said that the gathering went beyond merely paying homage to Saibaba, with students also raising slogans demanding the release of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, both of whom are facing proceedings under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The court noted that paying homage to Saibaba could not, by itself, be termed illegal, particularly since he had been acquitted by the Bombay High Court in 2024. However, the judge said the alleged activities at the gathering appeared to have gone beyond paying tribute to him.

“It was not the platform for raising such slogans,” the court observed, noting that the slogans were allegedly raised during a gathering on campus rather than at a public agitation or procession.

COURT CITES MATERIAL SEIZED DURING PROBE

During the investigation, police seized electronic devices, including laptops and mobile phones, from the accused.

According to the prosecution, investigators found books and other material published by members of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) stored on devices belonging to one of the students whose bail plea was rejected and another co-accused.

The prosecution also alleged that some information had been deleted from the devices.

The judge observed that the material allegedly recovered during the investigation indicated that the accused may have been influenced by Maoist ideology. The court said the gathering could have been part of an attempt to influence other students at the institute.

However, the judge also made an important distinction, observing that merely downloading Maoist publications may not, by itself, constitute an offence. The court said the material nevertheless had to be examined in the context of the other allegations against the students.

COURT CITES CUSTODIAL INTERROGATION AS REASON BEHIND BAIL DENIAL

The court said custodial interrogation of the two students was necessary to determine their intentions, particularly in light of the alleged slogans seeking the release of Khalid and Imam and the material recovered during the investigation.

The judge also noted that the accused allegedly did not fully cooperate with investigators on certain material aspects of the probe.

The court specifically referred to the Govandi student's alleged association with the Progressive Student Forum, which the prosecution claimed had been working against the institute administration. The prosecution further alleged that pressure had been put on the complainant through social media and that one of the witnesses had been threatened.

The court also took note of a separate non-cognisable case allegedly registered against the Deonar student in connection with an incident in which she was accused of threatening a police officer in 2025.

According to the court, the Govandi student had allegedly not only downloaded Maoist literature but had also visited several locations as part of fieldwork. The judge said his custodial interrogation was necessary to ascertain the purpose behind downloading the material and to examine whether it had any connection with the alleged slogans raised at TISS.

WHAT COURT SAID ON DELAY IN TRIALS

The judge also addressed the accused's submissions questioning the delay in the criminal proceedings.

The court said criminal trials have to follow established procedures and noted that delays can occur for several reasons, including the heavy pendency of cases and the imbalance between the number of judges and the volume of cases.

The judge pointed out that he himself was passing orders on the students' anticipatory bail applications more than nine months after they had been filed.

While the court said that using the phrase “Rest in Power” on campus without permission was not, by itself, a crime, it said the circumstances surrounding the gathering, the alleged slogans and the material recovered during the investigation raised questions about the accused persons' intentions.

The two students will therefore not receive the protection of anticipatory bail, while seven other accused students have been granted the relief. Further investigation into the case is underway.

- Ends