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Supreme Court halted district magistrate action on FIR against Ashoka University Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad over his social media posts on Operation Sindoor.
Ali Khan Mahmudabad, an associate professor at Ashoka University, had his bail extended by the Supreme Court on Wednesday. (Image: X)
In a relief to Ashoka University Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, the Supreme Court on Monday stopped the district magistrate from taking cognizance of an FIR registered against him by the Haryana Police over his social media posts on ‘Operation Sindoor’.
The apex court’s directions came after the police informed the court that it had filed a closure report in one FIR but filed a chargesheet in another FIR.
After the police’s submission of the closure report, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi quashed the FIR. The bench also barred the Magistrate from taking cognizance of another FIR registered against him.
During the hearing, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Mahmudabad, said it was “unfortunate” that the police invoked Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with offences attacking the sovereignty of the nation, over the social media comments, Live Law reported.
In the July hearing, the top court pulled up Haryana’s Special Investigation Team (SIT), which was investigating Mahmudabad’s social media posts, saying it was “misdirecting” itself. The SC asked SIT why it was expanding the scope of the investigation against the professor. The apex court then asked the SIT to complete the probe within four weeks.
Ten days after Operation Sindoor, 42-year-old Mahmudabad, who teaches political science at Ashoka University in Sonipat, was arrested on May 18 on a complaint filed by Yogesh Jatheri, the General Secretary of the BJP Yuva Morcha in Haryana.
The professor got the bail on May 21, but the apex court refused to stay the proceedings. The Supreme Court also directed the Haryana DGP to constitute a Special Investigation Team comprising senior IPS officers to examine and report on the Professor’s two online posts.
Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter –twitter.com/saurabhkverma19
Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter –twitter.com/saurabhkverma19
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