‘Your Careers Are at Stake’: Mumbai Court Warns TISS Students in GN Saibaba Event FIR

A Mumbai sessions court on January 19, 2026 warned students of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) facing a criminal case over an unauthorised campus event held to mark the first death anniversary of former Delhi University professor G N Saibaba that the proceedings could seriously affect their future, even as it extended the interim protection from arrest earlier granted to them.

The students are facing an FIR under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Maharashtra Police Act, alleging unlawful assembly, public disorder, and promotion of enmity.

On October 12 last year, a memorial programme was held on the Deonar campus of TISS to mark the death anniversary of Saibaba who was an English literature professor at the University of Delhi. Saibaba was arrested in May 2014 by Maharashtra police under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for alleged links with the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) and was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in March 2017 by a sessions court in Gadchiroli. However, the Bombay High Court acquitted him twice, most recently in March 2024, citing irregularities in sanction and evidence, leading to his release after nearly a decade in custody. He died in October 2024 at a hospital in Hyderabad due to health complications.

Allegedly, during the event at TISS, slogans were also raised in support of jailed former JNU students Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid, both accused in cases linked to the 2020 Delhi riots.

Hearing anticipatory bail pleas filed by nine students, Additional Sessions Judge Manoj B. Oza cautioned that the registration of an FIR against them was not a “minor issue” and would remain on record across law-enforcement databases. The judge underscored that such cases often surface during background verification processes, potentially affecting opportunities in both government and private employment.

The students have been booked for allegedly organising and attending a memorial programme on the Deonar campus of TISS on October 12 last year to mark the death anniversary of professor G.N. Saibaba.

Addressing the students directly, the judge observed that their families would inevitably come to know of the criminal proceedings and that the consequences could follow them long after they complete their education. He remarked that merely holding postgraduate degrees, including a Master’s in Social Work, would not insulate them from the stigma of an ongoing criminal case.

The FIR in the matter was registered by Trombay police on the basis of a complaint filed by an associate dean of the institute, the day after the programme. The police invoked multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with sections of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951. The FIR alleges offences relating to unlawful assembly, deliberate provocation with the potential to disturb public order, and acts said to foster enmity. Nine students were specifically named as accused, while the complaint also referred to the involvement of several unidentified persons. As part of the investigation, the police have seized electronic devices belonging to the accused students.

During the hearing, the prosecution informed the court that some of the students had failed to remain present on a previous date in December. Their counsel, however, assured the court that the applicants would comply with all directions and attend future proceedings without default.

Court has adjourned further arguments on the anticipatory bail pleas to a later date, with interim relief continuing until then.