Chandigarh (Haryana) March 16 : The Haryana government has informed the Supreme Court that it has decided to close the criminal prosecution against Ashoka University history professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, who was booked for allegedly making comments on 'Operation Sindoor', India's counter-operation against Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack, as a "one time magnanimity".
A bench led by Surya Kant noted the submissions of Additional Solicitor General S. V. Raju, appearing for the State of Haryana, who informed the Court that, pursuant to its earlier order, where it had urged the State government to consider closing the case against Mahmudabad as a one-time act of magnanimity, the authorities have now decided to close the proceedings.
"In reference to courts earlier order, ASG SV Raju, on behalf of the State of Haryana states as one time magnanimity not to grant any sanction for prosecution. Consequently, the proceedings pending before... chargesheet has already been filed. We have no reason to doubt that the petitioner who is a highly learned professor will act in a prudent manner", the Court noted.
Earlier, on August 25, the Supreme Court in an interim order barred the Magistrate from taking cognisance of the charge sheet filed in an FIR against Ali Khan Mahmudabad, associate professor and head of the Political Science department at Ashoka University in Haryana, over his social media posts on Operation Sindoor, and asked why it was 'misdirecting itself'.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi's order came after Haryana Police informed it that it had filed a closure report in one FIR against Mahmudabad and in another FIR, a chargesheet was filed.
Hence, it quashed the FIR in which the closure report was filed, and with regard to the other FIR, it barred the Magistrate from taking cognisance of it.
A professor of Ashoka University, Ali Khan Mahmudabad, was booked for allegedly making comments on 'Operation Sindoor.' He was arrested by the Haryana police at his residence in Delhi, following the registration of two separate cases.
The Ashoka professor was charged with, among other things, endangering India's sovereignty, unity and integrity for his comments on Operation Sindoor.
The State Women's Commission had earlier termed Mahmudabad's social media comments as disparaging toward women officers in the Indian Armed Forces and said it also promoted communal disharmony.
On May 13, Bhatia had dispatched the summons to the associate professor. He clarified that his comments had been completely misunderstood.