A former Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) student, Kamakhya Das, has filed an anticipatory bail plea in the Bombay High Court regarding an October 2025 campus incident. This follows a sessions court decision that denied him relief while granting it to several other students involved in the case.
Kamakhya Das, a former student of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), has approached the Bombay High Court seeking anticipatory bail in connection with a legal case originating from an October 2025 campus event. The Bombay High Court is scheduled to hear the matter on August 14, 2026. This legal development follows a sessions court order earlier in August 2026, which granted anticipatory bail to seven of the nine students booked in the matter but denied similar relief to Das and another student, Abhirup Paul.
The case stems from an FIR registered at the Trombay Police Station in October 2025 regarding an unauthorised gathering on the TISS campus. The event was held to commemorate the late Delhi University professor G.N. Saibaba. According to the investigation, the complaint alleges that participants engaged in unauthorised activities, including displaying posters, reciting poems, and raising slogans in support of certain individuals associated with the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) cases.
In its order, the sessions court had distinguished the applications of Das and Paul from those of the other seven students. The court cited the alleged recovery of specific materials from the devices of the two individuals, suggesting the presence of content related to certain ideologies. The court noted that while paying homage was not inherently illegal, the alleged slogans and the nature of the material found raised concerns regarding their conduct. Following this denial of relief, Abhirup Paul was arrested by authorities on August 7, 2026.
The plea filed by Das challenges the application of certain sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), arguing that the academic and political discussions held at the gathering were peaceful and did not constitute criminal offences. The petition disputes the characterisation of the event as an act promoting enmity or prejudicial to national integration, asserting that the possession of literature and engagement in academic discourse are protected activities.
The investigation into the incident, which was initially managed by local police, was subsequently transferred to the Crime Branch CID. As the Bombay High Court prepares to review the anticipatory bail plea, the primary focus remains on the legal arguments regarding the charges filed and the evidence submitted by the investigating agencies. The outcome of this hearing will determine the next steps for the applicant in this ongoing legal matter.