In a surprising turn of events, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Wednesday took suo motu cognisance of Professor Ali Mahmudabad's arrest.
This comes hours after the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Ali Khan Mahmudabad, an associate professor at Ashoka University, who was arrested over a Facebook post critical of the Operation Sindhoor press briefings.
In a press release, the NHRC stated that the media report regarding the professor’s arrest indicates "violation of the human rights and liberty of the Professor."
The NHRC has also issued a notice to the Director General of Police, Haryana, calling for a detailed report in the matter within one week.
"The Commission has noted that the report, which contains a gist of the allegations on the basis of which he has been arrested, discloses, prima facie, that the human rights and liberty of the said Professor have been violated. Therefore, it has deemed it a fit case for taking suo motu cognizance of the reported incident," the press release said.
Notably, earlier today, while granting interim bail, the apex court directed Mahmudabad to surrender his passport and refrain from posting or speaking online about the content of the post under investigation. The court also barred him from making any statements on the Pahalgam terrorist attacks or India’s counter-terror operations, pending the inquiry. Bail was granted on the condition that he furnish bonds to the satisfaction of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Sonipat.
