The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to relax the conditions earlier imposed on Assistant Professor of Ashoka University, Ali Khan Mahmudabad, while granting him protection from arrest in connection with his Facebook post on Operation Sindoor.
Khan had specifically objected to the condition restricting him from making online posts and comments.
The Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Dipankar Datta today observed that there were no reservations on Khan regarding what he spoke or wrote. The restriction was only with respect to making posts and comments related to the first information reports (FIRs) registered against him and not on general posts, it added.
The Apex Court said it would examine Khan’s request during the next hearing date in July.
The Bench recorded in its order that the investigation against Khan by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) should not be an omnibus one but confined to the two FIRs registered against him with respect to the Facebook post. The scope of the probe could not be expanded, it added.
This was after the State said the premises would have to be searched.
The investigation report should be produced before the Court, said the Bench and extended the interim protection from arrest granted to Khan earlier.