Supreme Court grants interim bail to Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, orders SIT probe
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted interim bail to Ashoka University Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, who was arrested on May 18 by Haryana Police over his social media posts related to ‘Operation Sindoor’. The Court, however, refused to stay the ongoing investigation.
A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice NK Singh directed the Haryana Director General of Police to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) within 24 hours. The SIT must include senior IPS officers not from Haryana or Delhi, with at least one woman officer, to investigate and interpret the meaning and context of the posts.
As a condition of the bail, Professor Mahmudabad has been barred from writing or expressing opinions on the incident or on the counter-response to the terrorist attack that led to ‘Operation Sindoor’. He is also required to fully cooperate with the investigation.
The Court emphasized that the bail is to enable a thorough and impartial investigation. During the hearing, the bench scrutinized Mahmudabad's social media statements, questioning the timing and language of his remarks. Justice Kant observed that while free speech is a right, sensitivity is essential during national crises. "Everybody talks about rights, as if the country for last 75 years was distributing rights!" he remarked.
Justice Kant further criticized Mahmudabad’s choice of words, describing them as “dog whistling” and said the professor should have used more neutral and respectful language. "The learned professor cannot have a lack of dictionary words...he could convey the same feelings in simple language without hurting others," he added.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Mahmudabad, argued that his client had no criminal intent and highlighted that the posts ended with "Jai Hind." He also informed the Court that Mahmudabad’s wife is expecting delivery soon.
Justice Kant questioned whether the posts were disrespectful to women officers, suggesting that the intent behind the comments was a matter of investigation. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the State of Haryana, claimed that the posts were not as innocent as portrayed by the petitioner.
Previously, a local court in Sonepat had sent Mahmudabad to judicial custody after rejecting the police’s request for seven-day remand. He initially spent two days in police custody following his arrest.
Mahmudabad faces charges under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including those relating to promoting communal disharmony, acts prejudicial to national sovereignty, and gestures insulting a woman's modesty. He has also been summoned by the Haryana State Commission for Women, chaired by Renu Bhatia.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
