In a key development on Wednesday, the Supreme Court extended interim bail till July for Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, who was arrested in Haryana over his alleged social media remarks on Operation Sindoor. A bench led by Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta clarified that the Special Investigation Team (SIT), earlier constituted to probe the matter, must restrict its investigation strictly to the contents of the two FIRs registered against the professor. The court also directed that the SIT’s final report be submitted before the apex court prior to presentation in the jurisdictional court. Meanwhile, Haryana authorities were asked to inform the court whether they had responded to a notice issued by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) regarding the filing of the FIRs.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Mahmudabad, urged the court to remove bail conditions that bar the professor from commenting online about the issues under investigation. He also requested that authorities be stopped from accessing Mahmudabad’s digital devices. The bench, however, declined both requests, reiterating that the professor must refrain from online posts or public speeches on issues tied to the FIRs, which stem from his allegedly provocative remarks following India’s retaliatory Operation Sindoor strike. The court observed that while Mahmudabad’s statements may appear anti-war, their dual interpretations could be controversial, justifying the ongoing probe but within narrowly defined limits.
The Supreme Court had earlier taken strong exception to the language used in Mahmudabad’s post, noting it could be misinterpreted. Despite his claims that his comments were patriotic and anti-violence, the bench found no grounds to halt the investigation. The SIT, which is not to include officers from Haryana or Delhi, is to be led by an Inspector General of Police, with at least one female IPS officer included. Mahmudabad had questioned why right-wing voices in India remained silent on mob lynchings and urged that accolades given to Colonel Sofiya Qureshi be matched with ground-level reforms. The court has allowed him bail on the condition that he refrains from making any further public commentary on India’s counter-terror response or related matters.
