Pune court rejects bail plea of FTII students

A Pune court has rejected the anticipatory bail plea of 12 students of Film and Television Institute of India. District judge R S Tiwari was hearing a plea seeking extension of the anticipatory bail granted to the students during an earlier hearing by Judicial Magistrate Narendra Joshi in August.

However, the order has been stayed for eight days to give the students time to approach High Court.

The court was hearing a case based on the FIR filed by the Deccan Police on the complaint of FTII Director Prashant Pathrabe.

On 8 August, Police was called in at the FTII campus by Pathrabe. The FTII director claimed that he was taken hostage by the students and manhandled. Following the complaint, five students were arrested. The Police had named 12 other students under different sections of the IPC.

According to The Indian Express, among the students whose anticipatory bail has been rejected is Harishankar Nachimuthu, president of the FTII students' body.

FTII students have been protesting against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chairperson of the premiere film school. Despite several rounds of negotiations between the students aided by eminent filmmakers and former alumni of FTII and the government, no breakthrough was achieved.

The students are scheduled to meet Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore for another round of meeting soon.