SC agrees to hear Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad's PIL against arrest for remarks on Operation Sindoor

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a petition filed by Ashoka University professorAli Khan Mahmudabad, who was arrested by Haryana Police over remarks on Operation Sindoor.A bench led by CJI B R Gavai is expected to take up the matter on May 20 or 21. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal argued that Mahmudabad was arrested for making "patriotic statements."Mahmudabad, who heads the Political Science department at Ashoka University in Sonipat, was arrested on Sunday at his residence in Delhi, reportedly over a social media post on Operation Sindoor.The operation, launched on May 7, targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.According to news agency PTI, the arrest was made following a complaint lodged by a BJP Yuva Morcha leader. "Ali Khan Mahmudabad has been arrested in Delhi," said Ajeet Singh, ACP at Rai police station in Haryana, adding that the arrest was directly tied to the professor's remarks about Operation Sindoor.Student newspaper The Edict reported that Mahmudabad was taken into custody without prior notice and is currently being held at the Rai police station in Haryana. The incident has stirred concern within the academic community and among civil rights groups, many of whom view the arrest as a crackdown on free expression.The Haryana state commission for women had earlier issued a notice to Mahmudabad, dated May 12, taking suo motu cognisance of his statements made "on or about May 7."