Delhi court cancels NBWs against Aishe Ghosh in 2021 protest case

A Delhi court on Thursday cancelled the non-bailable warrants (NBWs) issued against student leader Aishe Ghosh in connection with a 2021 protest outside Banga Bhawan after she appeared before a magistrate, bringing temporary relief in a case that has drawn fresh political attention following a failed attempt by Delhi Police to arrest her earlier this week

A Delhi court on Thursday cancelled the non-bailable warrants (NBWs) issued against student leader Aishe Ghosh in connection with a 2021 protest outside Banga Bhawan after she appeared before a magistrate, bringing temporary relief in a case that has drawn fresh political attention following a failed attempt by Delhi Police to arrest her earlier this week.

The case against the former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president and CPI-M leader is for protesting outside the Banga Bhawan in 2021 over alleged police action. (HT Archive)

Judicial magistrate first class Vijayshree Rathore of the Patiala House Courts cancelled the warrants after Ghosh appeared in person, subject to payment of ₹1,000 as costs. The court also directed that a copy of the CCTV footage relied upon by the Delhi Police be supplied to her counsel and posted the matter for further hearing on November 21.

The development comes a day after the court stayed the two NBWs issued against Ghosh, observing that she had explained her absence from earlier proceedings. Her counsel, advocates KN Jayasankar and Subhash Chandran KR, had submitted that she could not appear on the previous date due to unavoidable circumstances.

After perusing the record, the court stated, “In view of the submissions, NBWs are stayed till NDOH [next date of hearing] with direction to appear in person.”

The case against the former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president and CPI-M leader – for protesting outside the Banga Bhawan in 2021 over alleged police action – resurfaced after a Delhi Police team entered the New Delhi office of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) on Tuesday to execute the warrants, triggering a confrontation with party leaders.

CPI-M leaders had alleged that the action was politically motivated and linked to Ghosh’s role in the recent student protests in central Delhi that culminated in the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Delhi Police, however, maintained that the investigating officer was merely executing court-issued warrants in the 2021 case.

The warrants in question had originally been issued on April 11 after the magistrate noted that earlier NBWs issued on December 12, 2025, had remained unexecuted. Then, the court had said, “As per the report, the accused was not found at the given address. However, she was telephonically informed about the date of hearing”.

The court subsequently directed the deputy commissioner of police to execute the warrants.

Court records show that Ghosh and her counsel had not appeared before the trial court since August 2024, prompting the magistrate to first issue multiple bailable warrants before resorting to non-bailable warrants in December 2025.

The case stems from a demonstration organised on February 12, 2021, by the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) outside Banga Bhawan in Chanakyapuri. The protest was held against the alleged police crackdown on Left-affiliated student and youth organisations in Kolkata during demonstrations against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC).

According to the Delhi Police, the protest took place in a prohibited area, violated prohibitory orders, and disrupted traffic after demonstrators allegedly refused to disperse despite repeated directions.

An FIR was registered at Barakhamba Road police station against Ghosh and 15 others under sections 188 (disobedience to an order promulgated by a public servant), 447 (criminal trespass) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. A chargesheet was filed in February 2022, although arguments on framing of charges are yet to commence.