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Supreme Court to Hear Petition of Arrested Academic Over Controversial Social Media Posts

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A Supreme Court bench agreed to urgently hear the petition of Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, who was arrested over social media posts about Operation Sindoor, a military operation against terrorist groups. The court will hear his plea within the next two days. Mahmudabad's arrest was sparked by a complaint filed by a BJP Yuva Morcha leader, who alleged that his remarks undermined women officers in the Indian armed forces and fomented communal discord. The Haryana State Commission for Women had taken suo motu cognisance of his comments.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Supreme Court has agreed to urgently hear the petition of Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad against his arrest.
  • Mahmudabad was arrested for his social media posts about Operation Sindoor, a military operation against terrorist groups.
  • The arrest was sparked by a complaint filed by a BJP Yuva Morcha leader, who alleged that Mahmudabad's remarks undermined women officers in the Indian armed forces and fomented communal discord.
  • The Haryana State Commission for Women had taken suo motu cognisance of Mahmudabad's comments.
  • Mahmudabad had described the initial media briefings on 'Operation Sindoor' by women officers as "optics" and "just hypocrisy".
  • Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh had held media briefings on Operation Sindoor along with foreign secretary Vikram Misri.
  • Mahmudabad had also criticized the BJP's handling of hate crimes and demanded protection for the victims.
  • Mahmudabad is a poet, writer, and commentator on contemporary political issues, and has previously been involved in politics, joining the Samajwadi Party in 2017.

Statistics:

  • Mahmudabad is 42 years old and heads the Department of Political Science at Ashoka University in Sonipat, Haryana.
  • He was taken into custody based on a complaint filed by Yogesh Jatheri, general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Yuva Morcha in Haryana.
  • Operation Sindoor is a military operation against terrorist groups based in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Sources:

  • Hindustan Times (with permission)
  • HT Digital Content Services

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