Now Reading: Bombay HC grants interim bail to ex-TISS student in slogan case
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Bombay HC grants interim bail to ex-TISS student in slogan case
The Bombay High Court on Friday granted interim protection from arrest to Kamakhya Prasad Das, a former TISS student booked for raising slogans demanding the release of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam.…
The Story in Brief
The Bombay High Court on Friday granted interim protection from arrest to Kamakhya Prasad Das, a former TISS student booked for raising slogans demanding the release of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. Justice Prafulla Khubalkar posted the anticipatory bail plea for hearing on August 31 and ordered that Das not be arrested till then.
A sessions court had on August 7 denied bail to Das, 23, and another student Abhirup Paul, saying the slogans were raised at an unauthorised campus event to mark the first death anniversary of late Delhi University professor G N Saibaba. The police alleged Das had Maoist literature on his phone. The high court’s interim relief came after Das argued he had fully cooperated with the investigation for 10 months.
The Indian Opinion
Two familiar narratives collide here: that students must respect the law and courts’ decisions on UAPA accused, and that paying homage to an acquitted professor is lawful. Both sides claim the moral high ground, but the sessions court itself said paying homage to Saibaba was not illegal. The real test will be whether the High Court finds that slogans alone, without any call for violence, amount to an offence. The August 31 hearing will tell if free speech ends where a chant begins.
Sources (2): timesofindia.indiatimes.com, livelaw.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
