FTII fiasco: Magisterial court orders release of arrested students

By NewsGram Staff Writer

Pune: Five students of FTII who had been arrested in connection with their gherao in FTII director's office on Monday, were released on bail by a magistrate court here on Wednesday.

The bail was granted against personal release bonds of Rs 3000 per person, according to a report in Times of India.

Judicial Magistrate First-Class Narendra Joshi ruled that there were no sufficient reasons to justify custodial remand of the arrested students and hence ordered them to magisterial custody till September 1. The bail pleas were moved after that date and the court while granting the bail, directed the students to fully co-operate with the police.

Twelve other students, whom the police had named in their FIR report connected to the gherao, have been granted anticipatory bails.

The students were protesting on Monday in director's office against the decision of the institute to conduct assessment of 2008 film projects. The students have blamed the institute's authorities for taking up assessment when their projects are still incomplete owing to certain inadequacies on the part of the institute.

On Tuesday night, a complaint against 17 students for gherao was registered with the police by FTII director Prashant Pathrabe. The police have also booked another 30 students for rioting, unlawful assembly, damaging public property and obstructing a public servant from performing his duties, according to the report.