SC quashes case against Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad over ‘Op Sindoor’ posts

The Supreme Court on Monday quashed criminal proceedings against Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad over his social media posts related to ‘Operation Sindoor’ after the Haryana government informed the court that it had declined sanction for his prosecution.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant disposed of the matter after the State told the court it had accepted an earlier suggestion to withhold permission required to prosecute the academic.

Appearing for the Haryana government, Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju said the State had decided not to grant sanction and had followed the court’s earlier advice to treat the matter as a “one-time gesture of magnanimity”.

Raju, however, urged the court to caution Mahmudabad against repeating such actions in the future.

Court advises caution in public expression

During the hearing, Chief Justice Kant advised prudence while expressing views in sensitive situations, observing that written statements could sometimes be interpreted differently.

“Sometimes the situation is sensitive, and we have to be careful,” the Chief Justice told senior advocate Siddharth Luthra and advocate Nizam Pasha, who appeared for Mahmudabad.

In an earlier hearing in January, the court had suggested that the Haryana government consider refusing sanction for prosecution after learning that the State had been sitting on the request since August 2025, when a chargesheet had already been filed in the trial court.

SIT formed earlier to examine posts

During the proceedings earlier this year, the Supreme Court had also expressed concern that the professor’s posts may have contained elements of “dog whistling”.

To examine the issue more closely, the court had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising three senior IPS officers to assess the language used in the online posts and “holistically understand the complexity of the phraseology employed”.

The SIT was tasked with analysing the content of two posts in particular and determining their implications.

Arrest and FIRs in Haryana

Mahmudabad was arrested by Haryana Police on 18 May last year in connection with the posts concerning ‘Operation Sindoor’.

Authorities had alleged that the posts endangered the sovereignty and integrity of the country.

Two FIRs were registered at Rai police station in Sonipat district — one based on a complaint filed by Haryana State Commission for Women chairperson Renu Bhatia and another on a complaint lodged by a village sarpanch.

With the State declining sanction for prosecution, the Supreme Court brought the proceedings against the professor to an end.