In a relief to Ali Khan Mahmudabad, the Supreme Court granted interim bail to the assistant professor of Ashoka University on Wednesday, May 21, while remarking that his social media statements on Operation Sindoor amount to dog whistling.
The apex court has ordered Professor Mahmudabad to refrain from writing online articles or making online speeches and furnish bail bonds to the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) of Sonipat.
“Although everyone has the right to freedom of expression, Mahmudabad’s statements amount to what is legally known as dog whistling,” the Supreme Court observed.
However, the Supreme Court has refused to stay investigations against him.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotisar Singh directed the Haryana DGP to constitute a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by an IG rank officer and including an SP rank woman officer within 24 hours for investigating the case.
The previous day, Mahmudabad was sent to judicial custody for five days.
The Ashoka University assistant professor was arrested on May 18 by Haryana police for his social media posts related to Operation Sindoor. Two FIRs were registered against him – one based on a complaint by the chairperson of Haryana State Commission for Women, Renu Bhatia, and the other on a complaint by a village sarpanch – alleging his posts endangered the sovereignty and integrity of the country.
His arrest had evoked sharp criticism from several political parties and academicians. An open letter signed by 1,200 people, including academics, politicians and civil servants, expressed solidarity with the professor. It demanded that the Haryana State Women’s Commission withdraw its summons to Khan and apologise to him for “deliberately and maliciously slandering him.”
Ashoka University has expressed “relief” regarding Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad’s bail. “We are relieved and heartened by prof Ali Khan Mahmudabad being granted interim bail by the Hon’ble Supreme Court. It has provided great comfort to his family and all of us at Ashoka University,” the university said in a statement.
Interestingly, the university had distanced itself when the professor was arrested. “The comments made by a faculty member on his social media pages do not represent the opinion of the university,” it had released a statement on the day of his arrest.
(With PTI inputs)
