Delhi Court Cancels Warrants Against Student Leader Aishe Ghosh in 2021 Protest Case

A Delhi court on Thursday discharged non-bailable warrants against student leader Aishe Ghosh, who had been facing legal action in connection with a 2021 demonstration. Ghosh appeared before a magistrate at the Patiala House courts, leading to the cancellation of the warrants, which had been issued after she failed to appear for previous hearings.

Judicial Magistrate Vijayshree Rathore canceled the warrants, imposing a ₹1,000 cost on Ghosh. The warrants were initially issued for her role in a 2021 protest outside Banga Bhawan, organized against alleged police actions targeting Left-wing youth organizations in Kolkata. The court had previously stayed these warrants on Wednesday, a day before Ghosh's physical appearance.

The situation had escalated earlier in the week when Delhi Police attempted to execute the warrants at the New Delhi office of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M). This action led to a confrontation, with party leaders accusing the police of overreach, particularly concerning Ghosh's involvement in recent protests in central Delhi that contributed to the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Ghosh's legal representatives had informed the court that her absence from prior hearings was due to unavoidable circumstances. The court had previously issued multiple bailable warrants against her since August 2024, before escalating to non-bailable warrants in December 2025, after she was reportedly not found at her given address. The protest itself, held by the Students’ Federation of India and Democratic Youth Federation of India, was against alleged police crackdowns on student unions in Kolkata for opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act-National Register of Citizens (CAA-NRC). Delhi Police stated the protest occurred in a prohibited zone, violating orders and blocking traffic.