Court Grants Bail to Controversial Academic Amid Investigation

The Supreme Court granted interim bail to Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, arrested for controversial social media posts, while refusing to halt the investigation. A special investigation team will examine the case. Mahmudabad is restricted from making related public comments and must surrender his passport.

The Supreme Court has granted interim bail to Ali Khan Mahmudabad, a professor at Ashoka University, following his arrest over contentious social media posts related to Operation Sindoor. However, the court has refused to pause the ongoing investigation against him.

A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotisar Singh directed the formation of a special investigation team by the Haryana police to delve deeper into the case. Headed by an Inspector General, the team is tasked with evaluating two FIRs filed against Mahmudabad for his allegedly offensive posts.

Recognizing the delicateness of the language used by Mahmudabad, who leads the political science department at Ashoka University, the court emphasized respectful discourse, even as it defended freedom of speech. Mahmudabad has been instructed to abstain from commenting publicly on the posts under investigation, and he is required to surrender his passport.

(With inputs from agencies.)