No impediment on Ashoka University professor’s right to speech but can’t comment on FIRs: SC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday told Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, accused of making contentious social media posts on Operation Sindoor, that there was no impediment on his right to speech and expression, but he can’t post anything online with respect to the cases against him.
A partial working day bench of Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta refused to modify as of now, the interim bail condition imposed on him on May 21 that he will not write any online post, article or make any oral speech related to either of the two online posts, which are subject matter of the investigation.
The top court had also restrained the professor from expressing any opinion in relation to the terrorist attack on Indian soil or the counter-response given by the Indian armed forces.
The bench said it is extending the interim bail granted to the professor and directed the SIT to furnish the investigation report on the next date of hearing.
The top court made it clear that the subject matter of investigation was two FIRs lodged against the professor and asked the Haryana police not to go “left and right” in the investigation and seek the “devices”, which the cops said they would like to examine.
The bench also asked the Haryana police to apprise it about their response to the NHRC notice on registration of FIR against the professor.
On May 21, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said it has taken "suo motu cognisance" of a media report in connection with the arrest.
The rights panel has noted that "the report, which contains a gist of the allegations based on which he has been arrested, discloses, prima facie, that the human rights and liberty of the said professor have been violated".
On May 21, the top court granted interim bail to the professor , who was arrested for his contentious social media posts on Operation Sindoor, but refused to stay the investigation against him.
It had directed the setting up of a three-member SIT to look into the FIRs lodged against him.
Haryana Police arrested Mahmudabad on May 18 after two FIRs were registered against him. His contentious social media posts on Operation Sindoor, it is alleged, 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.
"On the Commission chairperson's complaint, the FIR has been lodged against Professor Ali of Ashoka University under BNS sections 152 (acts endangering sovereignty or unity and integrity of India), 353 (statements conducing to public mischief), 79 (deliberate actions aimed at insulting the modesty of a woman) and 196 (1) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion)," police said.
Several political parties and academicians have condemned the arrest.
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MP cruise boat tragedy: Search ops expanded to trace four missing passengers
Jabalpur (PTI): Army divers and disaster response teams on Saturday expanded their search at Bargi Dam in Madhya Pradesh to locate a man and three children still missing after the cruise boat tragedy that claimed nine lives two days ago, officials said.
With 28 of the 41 identified passengers onboard the ill-fated cruise boat rescued safely, police are preparing to register an FIR in connection with the accident that occurred at the reservoir in Jabalpur district on Thursday evening, they said.
The search radius has been expanded to 5 km in the backwaters of the Bargi Dam, located downstream of the Narmada River, area sub-divisional officer of police (SDOP) Anjul Ayank Mishra told PTI.
Nine people drowned in the incident, while 28 were rescued, and efforts are ongoing to trace the missing persons, he said.
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According to the police, more than 200 rescuers, including around 20 Army divers airlifted from Agra, began the search operation at 5 am on Saturday to trace Kamraj, an employee of the Ordnance Factory in Khamaria, his son Tamil (5), Vijay Soni (6) and Mayuram (5).
Mishra said that an inquest case has been registered and the post-mortem of nine deceased persons has been completed.
"Our priority is to search for the missing persons. We will soon register an FIR," he said.
Investigators have said that CCTV footage near the boarding point showed 43 people heading towards the ill-fated boat, and the names of 41 persons, who boarded the vessel, have been ascertained so far.
Collector Raghvendra Singh confirmed that a search is underway for four missing persons.
The rescue operation, being carried out by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and local divers, was briefly affected around 9 am due to strong winds.
The state government on Friday ordered a probe into the incident and dismissed three crew members after survivors alleged negligence and safety lapses, including failure to provide life jackets.
The government also banned the operation of similar vessels in the state.
The boat, operated by the state tourism department, sank during a sudden storm around 6 pm on Thursday, and the wreckage was retrieved from the dam water on Friday, after the rescuers confirmed that there were no more bodies inside.
Eyewitnesses have said that strong winds made the water choppy, prompting passengers to raise an alarm and ask the crew to steer the vessel towards the riverbank.
A survivor alleged negligence by the crew and described a last-minute scramble for life jackets.
