TISS Student Gets Bail as Mumbai Court Says Maoist PDFs Alone Don’t Prove ‘Maoist Mindset’

Mumbai magistrate’s court on Thursday granted bail to former Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) student Abhirup Paul, holding that the possession of PDF copies of books did not, by itself, establish a “Maoist mindset” and that there was no prima facie material, apart from suspicion, connecting him with anti-national activities or a banned organisation. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Dattatray Khedekar ordered Paul’s release on a ₹1 lakh personal bond, observing that he had already been interrogated sufficiently and that keeping a young accused behind bars merely on suspicion would not be justified.

Paul was arrested on August 7, 2026, in connection with an FIR registered by Trombay Police over an October 2025 TISS campus gathering commemorating former Delhi University professor G.N. Saibaba. According to the prosecution, members of the Progressive Students Forum organised the event and raised slogans demanding the release of jailed activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. Police alleged that the gathering reflected support for Maoist activities and later claimed that Paul possessed PDFs concerning cross-border Maoist organisations and had deleted mobile chats to conceal anti-national networks. Investigators also cited the possibility of links with Maoist organisations based in Bangladesh.

The defence argued that Paul was a young student pursuing his academic curriculum and did not require further custodial interrogation. The court agreed, noting that he had been questioned sufficiently and that there was no further need for custody.

The ruling carries wider implications for free speech and academic freedom, particularly because the alleged evidence includes political literature. Earlier in the same case, a Mumbai court granted anticipatory bail to seven TISS students, with the court finding that merely attending the Saibaba programme or downloading literature by Maoist writers did not, by itself, constitute a criminal offence.

Saibaba’s own legal history adds context. He had been convicted over alleged Maoist links but was acquitted by the Bombay High Court in March 2024 after years of litigation. He died in October 2024, and the TISS gathering was held around his first death anniversary.

The case also intersects with India’s broader constitutional debate over Article 19(1)(a) and restrictions under Article 19(2). The Supreme Court’s Shreya Singhal judgment distinguished between discussion, advocacy and incitement, reinforcing that controversial ideas do not automatically become criminal acts.

However, academic freedom is not immunity from criminal law. Evidence of recruitment, financing, conspiracy, incitement or active association with a banned organisation could attract liability.

The ruling also comes amid continuing scrutiny of stringent UAPA bail provisions, particularly Section 43D(5), in cases involving alleged national-security offences. But Paul’s bail is not an acquittal. The underlying case can continue, with the prosecution required to establish its allegations through evidence.