Sonipat
A court in Haryana on Tuesday sent Ali Khan Mahmudabad, head of the Political Science department at Ashoka University, to judicial custody until May 27. He was arrested over social media posts linked to Operation Sindoor. According to his lawyer, Kapil Balyan, Mahmudabad was presented in court after his two-day police custody ended.
The police requested a seven-day extension of his remand, but we opposed it in court. The court decided to send him to judicial custody until May 27, Balyan said.
Mahmudabad was taken into custody by Haryana Police on Sunday after two FIRs were registered against him at the Rai police station in Sonipat district. The complaints alleged that his online comments regarding Operation Sindoor posed a threat to the nation’s sovereignty and integrity. One FIR was filed by Renu Bhatia, the chairperson of the Haryana State Commission for Women, and the other by a local village sarpanch.
The arrest has triggered strong reactions across the academic community and political circles. Many have criticized the move, calling it a blow to freedom of expression. Several academicians and political leaders have demanded his release, stating that expressing opinions on national matters should not be criminalized. The case continues to draw national attention as debates over free speech and academic independence grow louder.