The Supreme Court on Wednesday sharply criticised the Haryana Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) for allegedly deviating from its mandate while probing Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, who was arrested over social media posts on ‘Operation Sindoor’.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi remarked that the SIT “misdirected itself” by going beyond examining the contents of the two FIRs registered against the professor. “We are asking why SIT is, on the face of it, misdirecting itself. They were supposed to examine contents of the posts,” Justice Kant observed.
The bench instructed the SIT, headed by a senior officer, to limit its investigation strictly to the two FIRs filed in Sonipat district and determine if any offence was made out. The court has given the SIT four weeks to submit its report.
The court also expressed disapproval over the seizure of Mahmudabad’s electronic devices, including his mobile phones, stating there was no occasion for such action, especially since the professor was cooperating with the investigation. Consequently, the bench said there was no reason to summon him again.
Further, the apex court relaxed Mahmudabad’s bail conditions, allowing him to write posts, articles, and express his opinions freely — except on the ongoing case, which remains sub judice. Earlier, on May 21, the court had granted him interim bail while directing the investigation to continue.
Mahmudabad was arrested on May 18 after two FIRs were registered over his posts related to ‘Operation Sindoor’ — a military operation during the recent unrest in Manipur — which the authorities claim threatened the sovereignty and integrity of the country.
The first FIR was filed on the complaint of Haryana State Commission for Women chairperson Renu Bhatia, and the second by a village sarpanch. The FIRs include charges under sections 152 (acts endangering sovereignty), 353 (statements conducing to public mischief), 79 (insulting the modesty of a woman), and 196(1) (promoting enmity between groups) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
