SC may hear Ashoka University professor Ali Mahmudabad's plea against arrest on Operation Sindoor Facebook post today

The Supreme Court is likely to hear a petition filed by Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad on Tuesday, May 20, against his arrest over a Facebook post over Operation Sindoor, a joint military action by the Indian Armed Forces targeting nine locations of Pakistan and PoK, according to a report by the Hindustan Times.

On Monday, Mahmudabad, who was arrested on Sunday, moved the Supreme Court to challenge his arrest. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal stated the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice BR Gavai, seeking an early hearing of the case.

The complaint against Mahmudabad over the social media post regarding press briefings of Operation Sindoor was filed by Yogesh Jatheri, the general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Yuva Morcha in Haryana, according to reports. Jatheri is a village sarpanch from Sonipat.

Reportedly, the 42-year-old professor was arrested under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) that deal with desition and insulting religious beliefs. One of the charges against him is Section 152 of the BNS, which criminalises acts that endanger the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India. One of Mahmudabad's lawyers, Kapil Balyan, told news agency PTI that he was produced before a court on Sunday evening and remanded in police custody for two days.

Meanwhile, Ashoka University has assured to cooperate with the Police.

“We have been made aware that Prof Ali Khan Mahmudabad has been taken into police custody earlier today. We are in the process of ascertaining details of the case. The University will continue to cooperate with the Police and local authorities in the investigation, fully," ANI reported citing the University's statement.

Who is Ali Khan Mahmudabad?

Ali Khan Mahmudabad teaches Political Science at Ashoka University. He is the son of Mohammad Amir Mohammad Khan, popularly known as Raja Sahab Mahmudabad, who fought a legal battle for nearly forty years to reclaim his ancestral property seized by the government under the Enemy Properties Act.

 Mahmudabad's father was the only son of Mohammad Amir Ahmad Khan, the last ruling Raja of Mahmudabad and long-time treasurer and major financier of the Muslim League before the partition of India.

His mother, Rani Vijay, is the daughter of Padma Bhushan Jagat Singh Mehta, who served as the Foreign Secretary of India from 1976-79.