The Supreme Court on Monday barred a trial court from taking cognisance of the charge sheet filed against Ashoka University Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad in connection with his social media posts on Operation Sindoor.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, hearing Mahmudabad’s plea, noted that in one of the FIRs, a closure report had already been filed and directed that all related proceedings be quashed.
On the second FIR, the court said, “About FIR No.147, a copy of the investigation report has been handed over to senior counsel for the petitioner. Meanwhile, no cognisance shall be taken of the chargesheet.”
Mahmudabad, an associate professor and head of Political Science at Ashoka University, was arrested in May over what police termed a “provocative” post on the Army’s Operation Sindoor. In his post, he referred to officers Col Sofia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh calling the initial press conference after the operation’s launch “optics” and “hypocrisy.” He was released on interim bail on May 22 after the Supreme Court intervened.
Two FIRs were filed against him—one now closed, and another in which a charge sheet was submitted on August 22. His counsel, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, criticised the move as “most unfortunate” and stressed that the professor had been booked under Section 152 of the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)—the sedition clause—whose validity is under judicial review. Other invoked sections include 353 (statements conducing to public mischief), 79 (insulting the modesty of a woman), and 196(1) (promoting enmity on religious grounds).