SC grants interim bail to Ashoka University professor Mahmudabad
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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted interim bail to Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, who was arrested over alleged offensive social media posts on Operation Sindoor. However, the court declined to halt the investigation against him.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotisar Singh directed the Haryana DGP to form a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) within 24 hours. The SIT will be led by an IG-rank officer and include an SP-rank woman officer to oversee the probe.
The Supreme Court bench, after reviewing the online post by the professor heading the political science department at Ashoka University in Sonipat, raised concerns over his choice of words, stating that they were deliberately used to humiliate, insult, or cause discomfort to others.
During the hearing, the bench informed senior advocate Kapil Sibal that while freedom of expression is a fundamental right, Mahmudabad’s statements fell under what is legally termed "dog whistling".
"At the time when so many things were happening in the country, where was the occasion for him to use these kinds of words which could be insulting, humiliating and putting others in discomfort. He is a learned man, he cannot be said to be short of words," Justice Surya Kant said during the hearing.
The bench restrained the professor from writing any further online posts on the recent India-Pakistan conflict and asked him to cooperate with the SIT investigation.
On Tuesday, a court in Sonipat sent Mahmudabad to judicial custody till May 27.
(inputs from PTI)
