Supreme Court quashes criminal proceedings against Ashoka University professor after Haryana refuses prosecution sanction

The Supreme Court on Monday (March 16, 2026) quashed criminal proceedings against Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad for his social media posts on ‘Operation Sindoor’ after the Haryana Government informed that it has refused sanction for his prosecution.

Supreme Court grants interim bail to Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad; panel to probe online posts

In a previous hearing, a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant had asked the Haryana government to refuse sanction as a “one-time gesture of magnanimity”.

The State, on Monday (March 16, 2026), appearing through Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, said it had accepted the court’s suggestion. Mr. Raju urged the court to caution Mr. Mahmudabad to not “indulge in such acts in future”.

Chief Justice Kant, in turn, also advised prudence, observing that at times writing could be deciphered by reading between the lines. “Sometimes the situation is sensitive, and we have to be careful,” the CJI addressed senior advocate Siddharth Luthra and advocate Nizam Pasha, appearing for Mr. Mahmudabad.

The apex court had in January made the suggestion to stall prosecution of the academician on learning that Haryana had been sitting on the grant of sanction since August 2025, following the filing of the chargesheet against Mr. Mahmudabad in the trial court.

The court had suspected the academician of indulging in “dog whistling” through his social media posts. It had formed a Special Investigation Team of three senior IPS officers to “holistically understand the complexity of the phraseology employed and for the proper appreciation of some of the expressions used in the two online posts”.

The Haryana Police had arrested Mr. Mahmudabad on May 18. It was alleged that his social media posts on Operation Sindoor had endangered the sovereignty and integrity of the country. The two FIRs — 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 — were lodged by Rai police in Sonipat district.