In a surprising turn of events, the request from Haryana Police to extend the police custody of Ali Khan Mahmudabad, an Associate Professor of Political Science at Ashoka University, was denied by the Sonipat Court on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. Instead, Mahmudabad was placed in judicial custody for a period of 14 days. His lawyer, Kapil Balyan, disclosed to The Hindu that the police had asked for a seven-day extension to recover his passport, but the court rejected the plea and opted for judicial custody. Mahmudabad appeared in court following the completion of his initial two-day police remand, where Balyan argued that a photocopy of his passport had already been provided to the authorities and his travel details could easily be obtained from the Ministry of External Affairs.
The situation escalated for Mahmudabad when he was arrested due to two separate First Information Reports filed against him at Rai Police Station regarding his social media comments related to Operation Sindoor. The court had previously granted a two-day police custody in one case and shifted him to judicial custody in the second instance. Both Haryana State Women Commission Chairperson Renu Bhatia and Jathedi Sarpanch Yogesh Jathedi filed separate FIRs against him with similar allegations. It seems like Mahmudabad is facing a tough legal battle ahead, with multiple parties coming forward to level accusations against him. The outcome of this case will undoubtedly have far-reaching consequences for the academic community and social media discourse as a whole.
