On Monday (19th January), 9 Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) students were admonished by a session court judge for an unauthorised event commemorating the first death anniversary of former Delhi University professor GN Saibaba who was accused of having ties with the Maoists.
Judge Manoj B Oza stated, “You have a criminal record. Now your record is with the police, not just here but everywhere in the country. You know that you have made a blunder so early in your career.” He then emphasised, “Your career is ruined.” He spoke to the students who were lined up at the rear of the courtroom.
The court was hearing their anticipatory bail application after Trombay police had filed a formal complaint against them. Ojha asked, “How many of you are from outside Maharashtra? You came to study in Maharashtra for all this? Your fathers know about the case? How many of your fathers are in government jobs? You will not get government jobs because of the case.”
He highlighted that the students would have to reveal the ongoing criminal case against them even if they started working for a private company. Afterwards, he questioned their attorney about the course they were studying. The judge remarked that their degrees would not help them find work after learning that they were enrolled in a Master of Social Work program. He expressed, “You think you are scientists or engineers? Even engineers don’t have jobs.”
The special public prosecutor had brought up the matter of the absence of the students from court during the court proceedings on 23rd December. Afterwards, their lawyer reassured that they would be present for the next hearing. The court has postponed the matter until later this month to consider arguments regarding their petitions for anticipatory bail. Additionally, the interim protection from arrest which was granted previously was extended to 5th February.
An associate dean of the institute submitted a complaint which prompted the Trombay police to register a First Information Report (FIR). It relates to the event marking Saibaba’s first death anniversary that took place on the TISS campus in Deonar on 12th October. The complaint charged that the students had staged an illegal gathering and chanted slogans in favour of anti-Hindu Delhi riots along with Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) accused Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid.
Charges of criminal conspiracy were added by the Mumbai Crime Branch which took over the investigation pointing out that the assembly was planned at the request of outside parties.
The anticipatory bail applications were presented in the same month. The electronic gadgets of students, including their computers and cell phones, were confiscated as part of the inquiry. They were booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections pertaining to unlawful assembly, rioting, inciting animosity between groups, accusations or statements detrimental to national integration and disobedience to an order validly issued by a public servant. Additionally, Maharashtra Police Act was invoked against them.
In 2017, a Gadchiroli sessions court convicted late Delhi University professor Gokarakonda Naga Saibaba alias GN Saibaba to life in prison for waging war against India due to his Maoist affiliations and participation in anti-national actions. However, the Bombay High Court acquitted him in 2022 due to the prosecution’s procedural errors rather than the case’s merits. However, the Supreme Court suspended the verdict. He was again re-acquitted by the Bombay High Court on 5th March 2024. The 57-year-old passed away on 12th October 2024.
