Institute of Legal and Management Studies

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) today took suo motu cognisance of a media report regarding the arrest and remand to custody of Ashoka University Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad in Haryana.

In a press release issued just minutes back, the Commission has said that a gist of the allegations based on which he has been arrested discloses that, prima facie, his human rights and liberty have been violated.

In view of this, the Commission has issued a notice to the Director General of Police, Haryana, calling for a detailed report on the matter within one week.

It may be noted that earlier today, the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Mahmudabad in the Haryana Police FIR over his social media posts about 'Operation Sindoor.' He was arrested on May 18 and has been under custody ever since.

At the same time, the Court refused to stay the investigation. However, the top court has directed the Haryana DGP to constitute within 24 hours a Special Investigation Team comprising senior IPS officers, who do not belong to Haryana or Delhi, to investigate and understand the true meaning of the post. One officer of the SIT should be a woman. The SIT should be headed by an IG rank officer and the other two members must be of SP rank.

As a condition of interim bail, the Court restrained Ali Khan Mahmudabad from writing any posts or articles in relation to the social media posts which are subject matter of the case or from expressing any opinion in relation to the terrorist attack on Indian soil or the counter-response given by India.

The Court also directed him to join and fully cooperate with the investigation. He has been directed to surrender his passport.

Yesterday, Mahmudabad was sent to judicial custody by a local court in Sonepat, Haryana.

The Court rejected the State Police's request for his 7-day custody. On May 18, the Magistrate remanded the Professor to police custody for two days.

Mahmudabad is facing offences under Section 196, 152 etc., of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, inter alia, pertaining to acts prejudicial to maintaining communal harmony, making assertions likely to cause disharmony, acts endangering national sovereignty and words or gestures intended to insult a woman's modesty.