Supreme Court says case may close if Haryana refuses to prosecute Ali Khan Mahmudabad over Operation Sindoor remarks
Jan 06, 2026
New Delhi [India], January 6 : The Haryana government on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that it has not yet granted sanction to prosecute Ali Khan Mahmudabad, an associate professor and head of the Political Science department at Ashoka University in Haryana, for his two social media posts on Operation Sindoor.
A bench of the Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said that Mahmudabad should also be responsible for his comments if the state ultimately decides not to approve his prosecution.
If the state takes a lenient view and does not grant sanction to prosecute, the case concerning Mahmudabad could be closed, the bench observed.
"If, suppose the competent authority is taking a view, may that, as a one-time kind of taking a lenient view, the issue can be closed... in that case, we need not go into the merit," said CJI.
Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the state of Haryana, said he would take instructions on the matter.
The bench said that the professor is also expected to act responsibly if the court closes the matter.
"We also don't want that as soon as they (state) decide not to grant sanction.. You (Mahmudabad) go and write anything you want. If they show magnanimity, then you also have to be responsible," CJI Kant said.
Earlier, the top court granted interim bail to Mahmudabad while refusing to stay the two FIRs registered by the Haryana Police against him in the matter, saying he had not made out any case for a stay on the investigation. However, the bench had released him on an interim.
Mahmudabad had approached the top court against his arrest over a social media post.
The Haryana police arrested him at his Delhi residence following the registration of two separate cases.
He 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.
