The Supreme Court of India has extended the interim bail granted to Ashoka University Political Science professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, arrested earlier this month over Facebook posts related to Operation Sindoor.
The top court has simultaneously placed strict limits on the scope of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) looking into the case, instructing it to restrict its inquiry to the contents of two specific First Information Reports (FIRs).
Mahmudabad was arrested by Haryana Police on May 18, following complaints from Renu Bhatia, Chairperson of the Haryana State Commission for Women, and a village sarpanch.
As per Hindustan Times, the FIRs invoked sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) concerning acts against national integrity, public mischief, promotion of enmity, and insulting a woman’s modesty.
On May 21, the apex court granted interim bail but barred the professor from making any further public statements about Operation Sindoor or India’s military activities involving Pakistan. The bench — comprising Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta — reiterated these conditions while refusing to modify them, terming the restriction a temporary “cooling-off” measure aimed at preventing a “media trial.”
Hindustan Times also reported that senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Mahmudabad, expressed concerns about the SIT possibly expanding the probe beyond the FIRs. Addressing this, the court warned the SIT not to demand electronic devices unnecessarily and clearly stated: “Do not try to expand the scope of the investigation… do not go left or right.”
The court instructed that the SIT’s report be submitted to the Supreme Court before being forwarded to any jurisdictional court. It also acknowledged that the National Human Rights Commission had taken cognisance of the FIRs and asked the Haryana government to clarify its position. The case is scheduled for further hearing in July.
