Social media posts on Op Sindoor: Haryana govt refuses sanction to prosecute Ashoka University professor

In a major relief to Ashoka University Associate Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, the Haryana Government on Monday told the Supreme Court that it has refused sanction to prosecute him for his controversial social media posts on 'Operation Sindoor'.

“As a one-time magnanimity, we have refused prosecution sanction and closed the case,” Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the Haryana Government, told a Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.

Following the ASG’s submission, the Bench ordered closure of the criminal case pending against Mahmudabad before a Sonepat court.

The Bench — which had earlier restrained the trial court from taking cognisance of the Haryana SIT chargesheet in the case filed in August 2025 — asked the accused to be cautious in future.

“Sometimes writing in between the lines creates more problems. Sometimes the situation is so sensitive that we all have to be careful. The petitioner being a highly learned person shall act in a prudent manner in future,” the CJI said.

“We also don't want that as soon as they decide not to grant sanction, you go and write any damn thing you want. If they show magnanimity then you also have to be responsible,” the Bench had noted on January 6.

Haryana Police had arrested Mahmudabad on May 18 last year after two FIRs were registered against him one based on a complaint by the chairperson of Haryana State Commission for Women, Renu Bhatia, and the other on a complaint by a village sarpanch by Rai police in Sonepat district over his social media posts on ‘Operation Sindoor’. Mahmudabad was booked under BNS sections 152, 353, 79 and 196.

Along with IAF Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, Col Qureshi was the face of India’s press briefings on ‘Operation Sindoor’ as the two women officers flanked Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in their interaction with the media.

Mahmudabad had allegedly described media briefings by Col Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh as “optics”. “But optics must translate to reality on the ground, otherwise it's just hypocrisy,” he had allegedly said.

Taking strong exception to the Haryana Police SIT seizing electronic gadgets, including cell phones of Professor Mahmudabad, the Supreme Court had on July 16 last year said the SIT “misdirected itself”.

It had asked the Haryana SIT headed by a senior police officer to only confine itself to the two FIRs against Mahmudabad over his contentious social media posts and see if there was an offence and submit its report in four weeks.

On August 25, the top court had restrained the trial court from taking cognisance of a chargesheet filed by Haryana SIT in one of the FIRs against him. It has further restrained the trial court from framing any charges in the case.