Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai on Monday (May 19, 2025) agreed to an oral request for an urgent hearing by Ali Khan Mahmudabad, an associate professor of Political Science with the Ashoka University, who was arrested by the Haryana Police for his social media posts in connection with Operation Sindoor.
Appearing before the Chief Justice, senior advocate Kapil Sibal urged the court for an early hearing of the academician’s plea to quash the FIRs registered against him at Sonipat’s Rai Police Station.
“He has been arrested for a patriotic statement. Please list it for tomorrow or the day after,” Mr. Sibal asked the Chief Justice, who agreed to the request.
As earlier reported by The Hindu, one of his lawyers, Kapil Balyan, briefed that he was arrested on charges of endangering the country’s sovereignty and integrity and promoting enmity between different groups, among others, under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. He had added the charges against Mr. Khan were “frivolous” and that similar comments had been made by many political leaders and retired Army officers on social media.
It was reported that Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime (Sonipat), Narender Kadiyan, had said Mr. Khan was arrested based on an FIR registered on the complaint of Haryana State Women Commission Chairperson Renu Bhatia. Jathedi Sarpanch and BJP Yuva Morcha general-secretary Yogesh Jathedi had also lodged a separate FIR against Mr. Khan on May 17 making similar allegations.
Mr. Khan was remanded to two days’ police custody in one of the two cases. In the second case, filed by Mr. Jathedi, he was remanded to judicial custody.
Published – May 19, 2025 11:42 am IST
