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Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad sent to 14-day judicial custody
Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmoodabad has been sent to judicial custody by the district court in Sonepat.
Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmoodabad has been sent to judicial custody by the district court in Sonepat. The court has scheduled the next hearing in the case for May 27.
One of Mahmudabad's lawyers, Kapil Balyan, said that the associate professor was presented before the court on Tuesday afternoon following the end of his two-day police remand.
“The police sought an extension of his remand by seven days. During the arguments, we opposed the extension of the police remand... The court has sent him to judicial custody till May 27,” said Balyan.
Khan was arrested on Sunday by Delhi Police for allegedly making controversial remarks on social media about Operation Sindoor. He was taken into custody from his residence in Greater Kailash and later handed over to Sonipat police.
Two FIRs have been registered against him, and after being produced in court, he was remanded to 14 days of judicial custody.
On Sunday, the Ashoka University Faculty Association defended Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad following his arrest over remarks made about Operation Sindoor, India’s military strikes on terror targets in Pakistan and PoK.
The faculty association issued a statement condemning the arrest of Prof Ali Khan Mahmudabad, describing the charges against him as “groundless and untenable.”
The faculty association pledged their support for their colleague, describing him as an invaluable member of the university community, a highly responsible citizen, and a trusted friend to his students.
Supreme Court to hear Mahmudabad’s petition against arrest
On Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to urgently hear a petition filed by Ali Khan Mahmudabad challenging his arrest over social media posts.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Mahmudabad, brought the matter before a Supreme Court bench. The top court is set to hear the Ashoka University professor’s plea within the next two days.
The arrest followed a complaint filed by a BJP Yuva Morcha leader and came shortly after the Haryana State Commission for Women took suo motu cognisance of his remarks about Army Colonel Sofia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, the prominent figures of India’s Operation Sindoor.
Mahmudabad referred to the initial media briefings on ‘Operation Sindoor’ by women officers, Colonel Sofia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, as mere “optics” and “just hypocrisy.”
Colonel Sofia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh had conducted these briefings alongside foreign secretary Vikram Misri.
In its notice, the commission stated that his remarks demeaned women officers in the Indian armed forces and stirred communal tension.
