Haryana declines to prosecute Ashoka prof Mahmudabad as ‘one-time magnanimity’
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New Delhi: The Haryana government has refused sanction to prosecute Ashoka University Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad over his social media posts on Operation Sindoor, citing "one-time magnanimity" in line with Supreme Court directions.
Additional Solicitor General S V Raju informed a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi on Monday that sanction was denied on March 3. "As a one-time magnanimity, the sanction is refused. We have closed the issue… Therefore, the chapter is closed," Raju said, urging the court to caution Mahmudabad against repetition.
The decision follows the court's January 6 order, where Raju noted a chargesheet filed in August 2025 but no prior sanction. The bench recorded: "We have no reason to doubt that the petitioner, being a highly learned professor and domain expert, will act in a prudent manner in the future."
Mahmudabad was arrested on May 18, 2025, under two FIRs for posts allegedly disparaging women officers in the Indian Armed Forces during Operation Sindoor. The Supreme Court granted interim bail on May 21 but refused to halt the probe, terming his remarks "dog whistling" and ordering an SIT investigation.
On May 28, the court limited the SIT probe to the FIR contents. CJI Kant remarked: "Sometimes writing between the lines more creates a problem… Sometimes, the situation is so sensitive that all of us are responsible citizens, and we have to keep the sentiments in mind."