New Delhi, March 16 The Haryana government told the Supreme Court on Monday that it had decided to show extraordinary leniency and drop the case against Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, who was booked for social media posts related to Operation Sindoor.
Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for Haryana, told a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi that they had not granted permission to prosecute Professor Mahmudabad.
"In a gesture of goodwill, we have decided to drop the case and refuse to grant permission," Raju told the bench.
The bench noted that since the state had not granted permission to prosecute Mahmudabad, the proceedings pending before the relevant trial court would be closed.
On January 6, the top court had extended its order restraining the trial court from taking cognizance of the chargesheet filed by the Haryana SIT in the FIR against Mahmudabad.
The apex court had passed the order after Raju had informed it that though the chargesheet was filed in August 2025, no permission had been granted by the Haryana government so far.
Haryana Police had arrested Mahmudabad on May 18 after two FIRs were registered against him.
His controversial social media posts on Operation Sindoor were alleged to have 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 filed by the Rai police in Sonipat district.
He was booked under Sections 152 (acts endangering the 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) of the BNS.
Several political parties and academics had condemned the arrest.
