Ali Khan Mahmudabad, the Ashoka University professor, who was arrested for a social media post about Operation Sindoor, which critics say is far from objectionable, was on Tuesday sent to 14-day judicial custody by a local court in Haryana.
“The police sought an extension of his remand by seven days. During the arguments, we opposed the extension of the police remand… The court has sent him to judicial custody till May 27,” Kapil Balyan, one of the lawyers representing Mr Mahmudabad, said.
Earlier on Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Mr Mahmudabad’s petition challenging his arrest.
Senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, appearing for Mr Mahmudabad, told the court, “He has been arrested for a patriotic statement. Please list it.”
My statement re the summons that I received from the Haryana State Women’s Commission.
The posts that were misunderstood and objected to can be accessed on my Facebook page. pic.twitter.com/U4rZrAXhFx
— Ali Khan Mahmudabad (@Mahmudabad) May 14, 2025
The court will likely hear the matter on Wednesday.
The two FIRs against the Ashoka professor were lodged at the Rai Police Station in Sonipat in Haryana — one based on a complaint from the chairperson of Haryana State Commission for Women, Renu Bhatia, and the other on the complaint of a village sarpanch.
Mr Mahmudabad, the head of the Political Science department at Ashoka University, was arrested on Sunday by Haryana Police from his residence in Delhi. Endangering India’s sovereignty and promoting communal disharmony are the charges invoked against the professor.
The Women’s Commission had earlier stated that his comments were disparaging to women officers in the Indian Armed Forces.
Responding to the arrest on Sunday, Ashoka University said in a statement, “We have been made aware that Prof. Ali Khan Mahmudabad has been taken into police custody earlier today. We are in the process of ascertaining details of the case. The University will continue to cooperate with the Police and local authorities in the investigation fully.”
The arrest has drawn criticism from opposition leaders.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has also condemned the arrest, saying, “The arrest of Ashoka University professor, Ali Khan Mahmudabad, shows how fearful the BJP is of any opinion disliked by them.”
“I have read and re-read the entire tweet of Prof Ali Khan Mahmudabad. Which portion of the statement did Haryana Police find objectionable and violative of law? Will someone from Haryana Police please enlighten us?” asked Congress’ P Chidambaram.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav compared the swift action against Mr Mahmudabad with the sluggish response to Vijay Shah’s comment against Colonel Sophiya Qureshi.
He said on X, “Those in power are free even after speaking ill of others, and those who spoke the truth have been arrested.”
