‘Your career’s ruined’: Mumbai court judge warns TISS students linked to Saibaba event; 9 under probe

MUMBAI: A sessions court Monday issued a stern warning to nine students of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) seeking anticipatory bail, observing their involvement in a criminal case could permanently damage their professional future.

The students are under investigation for organising an unauthorised event on the TISS campus at Deonar to commemorate the first death anniversary of Delhi University professor GN Saibaba, who was jailed for alleged links to Maoists. The judge extended their interim protection from arrest until Feb 5, when arguments on the pleas are likely to be presented.

The judge questioned the students, who are pursuing Master's in Social Work, about their backgrounds and the impact of the legal proceedings on their lives. "How many of you are from outside Maharashtra? You came to study in Maharashtra for all this? Your fathers know about the case? How many of your fathers are in govt jobs? You will not get govt jobs because of the case," the judge said.

The court cited the long-term consequences of a criminal record, noting that the implications extended beyond the public sector. Even in private employment, candidates are required to disclose pending criminal matters, the judge said. "You have a criminal record now, your record is with the police not just here but everywhere in the country. You know that you have made a blunder so early, before your career starts, your career is ruined," the judge said.

When the students' lawyer brought up their academic programme, the judge expre-ssed scepticism regarding th-eir employment prospects. "You think you are scientists or engineers? Even engineers don't have jobs," the judge said, adding their degrees would not help them secure jobs under the circumstances.

On Oct 12, 2024, Saibaba died due to health complications following acquittal in a UAPA case. He'd spent nearly a decade in Nagpur central jail.

The event to commemorate the academic's first death anniversary took place on Oct 14 last year. The TISS administration lodged a complaint with Trombay police alleging that the students had held an unlawful assembly and raised slogans in support of jailed activists Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid. Mumbai Crime Branch, which took over the probe, recently added charges of criminal conspiracy, saying the event was organised at the behest of outside parties.

Offences filed under BNS related to unlawful assembly, rioting, promoting enmity between different groups, imputations or assertions prejudicial to national integration and disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant. The students were also booked for offences under Maharashtra Police Act.