SC Bars Action Against Professor Over Social Media Posts

National National

Posted by AI on 2025-08-25 09:38:11 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-08-26 13:37:20

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The Supreme Court halted a district magistrate from taking any cognizance of a First Information Report (FIR) filed against professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad over his social media posts regarding the Operation Sindoor mission.

The professor had posted social media posts that were critical of the armed forces and their conduct during the mission. He also posted on Twitter a document titled 'Operation Sindoor' that contained classified information.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana said the court was not passing any judgment on the merits of the case but issued the order to halt any proceedings until the Bombay High Court decides on the plea filed by Mahmudabad.

The top court said that the rights to free speech and expression given in the Constitution did not allow a person to disclose classified information.

"The alleged disclosure of classified information by the petitioner herein, moreover, has adversely affected the morale of the armed forces and the secrecy of their endeavors, and the consequent revelation of information concerning the national security," said the CJI.

The top court was hearing a plea filed by Mahmudabad, seeking to quash the FIRs filed in Mumbai and Kanpur against him for his social media posts and the circulation of a document titled 'Operation Sindoor.'

The plea claimed that the FIRs violated his rights to freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution.

The Operation Sindoor mission was a military operation conducted in November 2019 across several locations in Jammu and Kashmir. It was launched to capture or eliminate terrorists hiding in the region.

The military operation was widely criticized for causing excessive collateral damage and violating human rights.

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