Mumbai, Sep 10 A court here on Thursday granted bail to a Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) student arrested for allegedly shouting objectionable slogans and possessing Maoist literature, saying that having PDF copies of books does not establish a "Maoist mindset".
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Dattatray Khedekar said that prima facie there was no incriminating material against Abhirup Paul, and ordered his release on the execution of a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh.
"Prima facie, except suspicion there is no material to link the activities of the accused with a mindset of Maoist or against the nation or associating with a banned organization against India," the court said.
Paul was arrested on August 7 in connection with a First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Trombay Police in October 2025.
According to the prosecution, Paul and other members of the Progressive Students Forum gathered on TISS campus on October 12, 2025, to commemorate the death anniversary of former Delhi University professor G N Saibaba.
They allegedly raised slogans demanding the release of jailed activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam.
Their actions showed a mindset supporting Maoist activities, the police claimed.
Investigating officers alleged that Paul possessed PDF documents related to cross-border Maoist organizations and deleted his mobile chat history to conceal anti-national networks.
If released on bail, the possibility of him promoting and spreading Maoism cannot be ruled out, and there was also the possibility that he had links with Maoist organizations based in Bangladesh, the police said.
The defence contended that the accused is young and was only pursuing the curriculum of the college.
The court noted that Paul had been interrogated for a sufficient period of time, and no further custody was required.
The consideration of bail for the young accused was necessary in view of his career, and keeping him behind the bars only on suspicion would not be just, it said.
