Supreme Court Directs SIT to Limit Probe to FIRs in Prof. Ali Khan Mahmudabad’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ Case
New Delhi: The Supreme Court today (May 28) restricted the scope of the special investigation team’s investigation into professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad’s social media posts on Operation Sindoor, saying that it should be limited to the two first information reports alone.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta ordered this after Khan’s counsel, senior advocate Kapil Sibal expressed concern that the SIT formed by the apex court while granting interim bail to Khan might look to expanding its remit.
“We direct that investigation of SIT shall be confined to contents of the two FIRs subject matter of these proceedings. The investigation report, before it is filed before jurisdictional court, be produced before this court. The interim protection to continue till further orders,” the bench said, according to LiveLaw.
Sibal also brought up how authorities were seeking access to Khan’s digital devices, the report noted.
Justice Kant asked why devices were needed. “Both FIRs are matter of record. What is the need for devices? Don’t try to expand the scope. SIT is free to form opinion. Don’t go left and right,” the judge told the Haryana AG.
The earlier order of the apex court on May 21 had remarkably said that if the SIT found “any other incriminating material” it would be at liberty to “seek modification of the interim order”.
Justice Kant, whose observations while granting Khan interim bail had come in the way of severe criticism, also said that the conditions he had imposed were meant to “introduce a cooling-off period,” according to LiveLaw.
On May 21, the court had said that he cannot write or deliver a speech on the issues which are subject matters of this case.
Today asked Sibal to “wait for some time and remind on the next date” and said that Khan is free to write articles on aspects other than the subject matter. “We don’t want a parallel media trial on this issue. He is free to write on anything else. No impediment on his right to speech, etc.” Justice Kant said.
In an extraordinary note, the apex court bench led by Justice Kant had said in the earlier hearing that if the students and professors, ostensibly of Ashoka University, “if they dare to do anything, we will not accept this, if they try to join hands etc, we know how to deal with these people, they are within our jurisdiction.”
The bench led by Justice Kant also asked the Haryana government on its response to the National Human Rights Commission taking cognisance of the manner in which the FIR was registered against Khan.
Haryana police on May 18 arrested Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad under charges that point to sedition and for hurting religious sentiments complaint for his comments on India’s Operation Sindoor against Pakistan.
Two FIRs were lodged against Mahmudabad, one on the complaint of a Bharatiya Janata Party office-bearer and the other on the complaint of the Haryana State Commission for Women days after its chairperson had summoned the professor over his social media posts against warmongering following India’s Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. The police confirmed his arrest in a statement posted on X.
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