सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने प्रो. Ali Khan Mahmudabad के ‘Operation Sindoor’ पोस्टों के खिलाफ हरियाणा केस को बंद करने का आदेश दिया

<p>The <span class="key-term" data-definition="Supreme Court — India's apex judicial body that interprets the Constitution and adjudicates disputes involving the Union and states (GS2: Polity)">Supreme Court</span> has directed the <span class="key-term" data-definition="Haryana Government — the executive authority of the Indian state of Haryana, responsible for law‑and‑order and policy implementation (GS2: Polity)">Haryana Government</span> to withdraw sanction for prosecuting <strong>Prof. Ali Khan Mahmudabad</strong> of <span class="key-term" data-definition="Ashoka University — a private liberal‑arts university in Haryana, known for its research and academic freedom (GS2: Education)">Ashoka University</span>. The case stemmed from his social‑media comments on “<span class="key-term" data-definition="Operation Sindoor — a government‑initiated campaign addressing communal sensitivities, named after a symbolic use of ‘sindoor’; the exact nature is context‑specific (GS2: Polity)">Operation Sindoor</span>”.</p> <h3>Key Developments</h3> <ul> <li>On <strong>16 March 2026</strong>, the Haryana Government informed the Court that it would not grant sanction to prosecute the professor.</li> <li>The bench comprising <strong>Chief Justice of India Surya Kant</strong> and <strong>Justice Joymalya Bagchi</strong> accepted the submission of <span class="key-term" data-definition="Additional Solicitor General (ASG) — a senior law officer of the Union who represents the government in high courts and the Supreme Court (GS2: Polity)">Additional Solicitor General SV Raju</span> and quashed the criminal proceedings.</li> <li>The Court, while closing the case as a "one‑time magnanimity," suggested that the professor be warned against future similar posts.</li> <li>Senior Advocates <strong>Siddharth Luthra</strong> and <strong>Advocate Nizam Pasha</strong> represented the professor.</li> </ul> <h3>Important Facts</h3> <p>The FIR invoked Sections 196, 152, etc., of the <span class="key-term" data-definition="Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) — the new Indian criminal code that replaced the Indian Penal Code, containing provisions on communal harmony, sovereignty, and public order (GS2: Polity)">Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita</span>. These sections deal with acts prejudicial to communal harmony, statements likely to cause disharmony, and actions endangering national sovereignty. Prof. Mahmudabad spent three days in custody before the Court granted <span class="key-term" data-definition="Interim bail — a temporary release of an accused person pending final trial, subject to conditions (GS2: Polity)">interim bail</span> in May 2025. The Court had earlier formed a Special Investigation Team to interpret the meaning of his posts.</p> <h3>UPSC Relevance</h3> <p>1. <strong>Judicial Review & Federalism:</strong> The case illustrates the Supreme Court’s power to direct state governments, a key aspect of Centre‑State relations (GS2).<br> 2. <strong>Criminal Law Reforms:</strong> Applica