ibn sultan
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted interim bail to associate professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad of Sonipat-based Ashoka University, days after he was arrested over his remarks allegedly disparaging women officers in the Indian Armed Forces and promoting communal disharmony. The top court, however, called the professor’s social media post “dog whistling”.
The Bench, however, refused to stay the investigation and directed the DGP of Haryana to set up 3-member special investigation team.
Mahmudabad was arrested on May 18 after two FIRs were lodged under stringent charges, including endangering sovereignty and integrity, for his social media posts over Operation Sindoor.
He was produced before a local court in Sonipat on May 18 and was remanded in police custody for two days in a case registered on a complaint from the Haryana State Commission for Women (HSCW) filed a day before.
The HSCW recently sent a notice to him questioning the remarks, though Mahmudabad maintained they were “misunderstood” and underscored his fundamental right to freedom of speech.
Haryana Police said the two FIRs were lodged at the Rai Police Station in Sonipat — one based on a complaint from the chairperson of Haryana State Commission for Women, Renu Bhatia, and the other on the complaint of a village sarpanch.(Indian Express)
