India’s Supreme Court on Wednesday granted bail to Ali Khan Mahmudabad, a political science professor at Ashoka University, who was arrested for his online comments criticizing the military conflict with Pakistan. Despite granting bail, the court allowed the investigation against him to continue.
Mahmudabad was taken into custody after posting on Facebook that some people were “mindlessly advocating” for war. He also questioned the sincerity of two women army officers who held press briefings, saying their “optics” must reflect reality, or else it would be hypocrisy. He later said his remarks were misunderstood and defended his right to freedom of thought and speech.
The professor faces charges under several sections of India’s criminal code, including endangering national sovereignty and insulting the modesty of a woman. The Supreme Court noted that Mahmudabad should have avoided “complicated words” that could hurt individuals and instead used simpler language to express his views.
The court ordered the creation of a special police team to investigate his statements and barred Mahmudabad from commenting further on the Pakistan-India conflict or the social media post that led to his arrest.
The recent escalation between India and Pakistan ended last week after four days of intense exchanges involving artillery, drones, and missiles. The confrontation followed an attack on April 22 in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 people, with India blaming Pakistan without providing evidence.
Amnesty International condemned the arrest as “shameful,” accusing Indian authorities of misusing laws to target critics. Mahmudabad’s original post had referred to two women officers, including Muslim officer Sofiya Qureshi, who conducted army press briefings before the ceasefire and were praised for symbolizing a united India. He urged Hindu nationalist commentators supporting the women also to demand protection for victims of the ruling BJP’s hate rhetoric.
Following his remarks, the Haryana state government’s women’s rights commission summoned Mahmudabad over his comments.
