Supreme Court Criticizes Ashoka University Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad Over ‘Cheap Publicity’ Remarks

Ashoka University Professor: The Supreme Court of India has issued interim bail to Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, who was arrested on May 18 for social media posts related to 'Operation Sindoor'. In directing his release, the court denounced his language, calling it "dog whistling" and saying it may transmit contentious messages subtly.

A bench consisting of Justices Surya Kant and N. Kotiswar Singh instructed the Haryana Director General of Police to form a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) within 24 hours to investigate the allegations against Mahmudabad. The SIT should consist of senior IPS officers who are not from Haryana or Delhi, and at least one woman officer.

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As bail conditions, Mahmudabad has been ordered to hand over his passport and also not make any public statements about the case or the investigation. The court also ordered him to desist from posting anything else on the net or giving speeches on the topic.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh was not shy in words as it condemned the professor’s remarks. “Everybody has a right to express free speech. But is it the time to talk of this much communal…? The country has faced a big challenge. Monsters came all the way and attacked our innocents. We were staying united. But at this juncture… why to gain cheap popularity on this occasion?” Justice Kant said, LiveLaw reported.

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The court termed Mahmudabad’s post “dog whistling,” a legal term that refers to coded or veiled language addressing specific groups. It condemned his choice of words, saying, “Although everybody has the right to freedom of expression, statements by Mahmudabad are what is called dog whistling in law.”

"National Unity is supreme for the Congress party, BJP should be under no impression that it can foster Dictatorship under the garb of the present developments. Democracy should stand tall," the Congress chief said.

The Haryana State Commission for Women had recently sent a notice to the associate professor questioning his remarks, though Mahmudabad had maintained that they were "misunderstood" and asserted that he had exercised his fundamental right to freedom of speech.

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