Supreme Court Grants Bail to Ashoka University Professor Amid Controversy

Supreme Court Decision on Ashoka University Professor

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The Supreme Court has provided interim bail to Ali Khan Mahmudabad, an Associate Professor at Ashoka University, following his remarks regarding press briefings on Operation Sindoor. The court has also directed the Haryana Police to create a special investigation team to interpret Mahmudabad's statements.

The political science department head was detained on Sunday after being charged in two cases due to his social media comments that pointed out the irony of Hindutva commentators praising Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who represented the Army during the media briefings about the military operation.

Mahmudabad called for justice for victims of mob lynching and others affected by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s hate speech. The Supreme Court has prohibited him from sharing or publishing any content related to the posts under investigation.

In a separate case, commentator Abhijit Iyer-Mitra has agreed to remove social media posts containing allegedly abusive remarks about female employees of the digital news outlet Newslaundry, following a reprimand from the Delhi High Court. The court warned that it would initiate a first information report against him if he did not comply.

The women from Newslaundry have filed a defamation lawsuit against Iyer-Mitra, a columnist for a pro-Narendra Modi outlet, seeking a public apology and ₹2 crore in damages. They allege that he targeted them with derogatory language and slurs through a series of posts from February to April.

The Tamil Nadu government has filed a petition with the Supreme Court, accusing the Union government of withholding funds under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme for the financial year 2024-’25.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led state government claims that the Centre's actions are linked to its refusal to implement the 2020 National Education Policy, the PM SHRI Schools scheme, and its opposition to the three-language formula, which includes Hindi.

The state argues that the Union government's actions violate constitutional rights, including the right to equality, the right to life, and the right to free and compulsory education, as well as the statutory framework of the Right to Education Act.

In Chhattisgarh’s Abujhmad region, twenty-seven suspected Maoists were killed during a confrontation with security forces, according to police reports. A member of the District Reserve Guard also lost their life in the exchange.

The clash occurred near Boter village in the hilly Abujhmad forest, which spans the Narayanpur, Bijapur, and Dantewada districts. Authorities believe that several senior Maoist leaders were among those killed or seriously injured.

This incident raises the number of suspected Maoists killed in security operations this year to over 185, with 217 reported in 2024.

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