The Anatomy of a Professor’s Arrest: 48 Hours of Ali Khan Mahmudabad

On Sunday, 18th May 2025, Prof. Ali Khan Mahmudabad — Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Political Science at Ashoka University — was arrested from his temporary residence in Delhi by Haryana Police officials. The arrest, conducted early in the morning, was reportedly carried out without a transit remand from a Delhi court, raising concerns about due process violations. Khan was subsequently transported to the Rai Police Station in Haryana. 

Legal Grounds:

The case has been enlisted in two First Information Reports (FIRs), both filed in Sonepat, Haryana:

• FIR 146/25: Based on a complaint by Yogesh Jatheri, BJP Yuva Morcha General Secretary, Sonepat, on 17th May 2025, at 8:32 P.M. Jatheri mentioned his Facebook post on Operation Sindoor and claimed that Khan also said this to him in person, in the presence of multiple other people. This FIR led to judicial custody until 27th May, 2025.

  
  

• FIR 147/25: Filed by Renu Bhatia, Chairperson of the Haryana State Commission for Women (HSCW), on 18th May 2025, at 12:05 P.M., hours after Khan’s arrest under the first FIR. It was following the HSCW summons issued to Khan on 12th May on the basis that his post “disparaged women officers” and “promoted communal disharmony”. This complaint resulted in police remand until May 20, 2025, 2:00 P.M. 

  
  

The charges, under various sections of the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2024, include:

Section 353 (1): Statements conducting to public mischief by publishing or circulating any statement or false information with an intent to cause or which is likely to cause mutiny within the Army, Navy, or Air Force of India, cause fear or alarm to the public, or incite inter-class or community dispute. (Punishable by imprisonment which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.)

Bhatia accuses Khan of fear-mongering, stating, “By using the narrative of war, Mr. Ali is portraying that the situation of escalation has led to a scenario of ‘declared war’, whereas no press release or conference by the Indian Army, Ministries, or any other concerned authorities had made the declaration of war.”

Section 196 (1)(a) and Section 196 (1)(b): Promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony. 

Section 152: Acts endangering sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India by intentionally using means of communication such as electronic communication to excite or attempt to excite, secession or armed rebellion or subversive activities, or encourage feelings of separatist activities. (Punishable by imprisonment of 7 years and fine or imprisonment for life.)

Bhatia cites this section in her FIR, adding “Mr. Ali is not suggesting any lawful alteration while questioning the act of the army, albeit indirectly. It [Khan’s post] has proximate potential to excite the student bodies and his account followers on social media to engage in similar incendiary remarks.” 

Section 79: Word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman. (Punishable up to simple imprisonment of 3 years with a fine).

“Mr Ali calls the officers’ acts as mere ‘optics’ and the nation’s address as ‘illusory’ in his statement. The gravity of his words cannot be seen in vacuum and must be tested based on prudent man’s test”, states Bhatia.

Section 197 (1)(c): Whoever, by words, speech, signs, electronic communication or by other means, makes or circulates statements about the obligations of a religious, racial, linguistic, regional, or caste group that may cause or is likely to cause enmity, disharmony, or hatred between them and others. 

Section 299: Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs. (Punishable for Imprisonment for 3 years, or fine, or both. This offense is non-bailable.)

Bhatia also states that Mr. Ali holds considerable influence within the university owing to his roles as Head of the Political Science Department and a member of the Committee Against Sexual Harassment (CASH). She further expresses concern that his “social position” and “influential family background” contribute to his ability to “garner support” for statements she describes as disturbing. 

Court Proceedings:

Khan was presented before the Sonepat Duty Magistrate on May 18th, at around 6:45 P.M. in the Jatheri case in which he was sent into judicial custody. He was arrested under the HSCW (147/25) complaint only at the duty magistrate’s hearing, for which he was then granted police remand.

On 19th May 2025, Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai agreed to an urgent hearing after Senior advocate Kapil Sibal urged the court for an early hearing of Khan’s plea to quash both the FIRs registered against him. The hearing is scheduled for 21st May, 2025. 

As of 2:00 P.M. on 20th May, his scheduled hearing at the Sonepat District Court has commenced before Civil Judge Azad Singh in a closed-door hearing. 

Faculty Response: 

News of Khan’s arrest triggered an immediate and vocal response from Ashoka University’s academic community. By noon, the Committee for Academic Freedom (CAF) had issued a public statement denouncing the charges as “baseless” and a “fundamental attack on academic freedom.” It urged the university to “publicly stand by” Khan to defend the “principles of freedom that are under attack.”

The CAF was reportedly proposed in a document for academic freedom which the university had drafted and adopted in 2021, but was made operational only in the aftermath of the controversy surrounding Professor Sabyasachi Das in 2023. At the time, 82 faculty members had signed a letter to Vice Chancellor Somak Raychaudhury and Dean of Faculty Amita Baviskar, urging the university to protect scholarly independence in the wake of political pressure over Das’s research on electoral manipulation. Das ultimately resigned after the university publicly distanced itself from his work.

Later that evening, the Faculty Association (FA) released a separate statement on X (formerly Twitter) against such “calculated harassment,” and highlighted Khan’s merit as a “good citizen-scholar…deeply respectful and generous.” It also demanded his immediate and unconditional release.

The CAF & FA statements followed a joint letter circulated by Professors Apoorvanand (University of Delhi) and Aparna Vaidik (Ashoka University) on 15th May, which urged the HSCW to withdraw its summons and issue a public apology. It also called on Ashoka to support Khan, “especially during this time when he has done nothing except carry out his duties as a teacher, a citizen and a person who believes in harmony and peace.” The letter had gathered over 1,000 signatures by the afternoon of 16th May.

Institutional Response:

Following the HSCW notice, Ashoka University distanced itself from Khan’s comments, stating they were made in his personal capacity. “Ashoka University and all members of the Ashoka community are proud of India’s armed forces and support them unequivocally,” the university said in an earlier media statement.

After his arrest, The Edict reached out again, asking if the university stood by that position and how it aligned with its commitment to academic freedom. In response, the university said it was “ascertaining details of the case” and would “cooperate fully” with authorities. It has not yet addressed questions on academic freedom or faculty expression directly. 

In a tweet that he also shared with The Edict, co-founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani acknowledged the criticism and added: “We have been called a dung heap, craven, intellectually bankrupt, spineless and what not for not coming out in support of Prof. Mahmudabad. We take it on the chin and soldier on with the knowledge that the road to institutional excellence is hard and there will be people who will think differently about the same thing…I am confident that the management of Ashoka will do the right and responsible thing. You have my assurance”. 

Student and Alumni Response

“We stand firmly united and in solidarity against our Professor, Dr. Ali Khan Mahmudabad's arrest. Throughout the course, Professor Khan lectured on love, consistently emphasising secular values such as reason, compassion, justice, and freedom of thought as the foundation of meaningful dialogue. His wrongful arrest is a stark violation of not just academic freedom, but of the very principles he taught us and stands for.” 

These words, taken from a joint statement published on the afternoon of 19th May by students in Khan’s Spring 2025 course, Banish the Poets, are reflective of the widespread sentiment of condemnation regarding Khan’s arrest.

The statement is part of a broader wave of support from the Ashoka University students’ community. On May 18, the Ashoka University Student Government (AUSG) issued its own condemnation statement in solidarity, just hours after these reports surfaced. The statement, backed by over 30 student clubs and societies, called for Khan’s immediate release and framed the arrest as a violation of free expression and civil liberties. A joint letter signed by approximately 400 alumni, and the Ashoka University Alumni Council’s statement, all echoed the same sentiments. 

These public declarations have consistently emphasised Khan’s role as a principled, secular and compassionate educator, who always pushed his students to think freely and critically, whilst never disrespecting the nation or its constitution. The AUSG’s statement also includes endorsement sections from students and alumni, many of whom have since shared personal reflections on Khan’s teaching and presence at the university. Testimonials to his nature as a teacher, by both past & present students have also gained momentum across social media. 

In the words of his students from the Banish the Poets course, “It was under his guidance and in the space created by his lectures that many of us felt emboldened to speak, to share, to write, to enjoy and to appreciate the safety and sanctity of the space. The principles he believes in compassion, justice and freedom, not something he only taught or preached; he lives them, and in doing so, helps us live them more truly too”.  

External Support:

The Democratic Teachers’ Initiative (DTI) was among the first to issue a statement in solidarity with Khan. The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers Association (JNUTA) was also part of the early tranche of support. In a broader show of collective dissent, a joint press conference has been scheduled at the Press Club of India on May 20th at 3 PM by several prominent organizations, including the All India Professionals’ Congress (AIPC), All India Peoples Science Network (AIPSN), Democratic Teachers’ Initiative (DTI), Democratic Teachers' Front (DTF), Indian Academic Freedom Network (IAFN), RSM, CTF and SSM*. The event aims to denounce what is being described as the “witch hunt of public intellectuals.” 

Widespread support for Khan has also emerged across social media platforms, with public intellectuals, academics, journalists, politicians, activists, and members of civil society voicing their concern and condemnation. The public letter released on 15th May was signed by numerous eminent personalities and intellectuals, including Romila Thapar, Zoya Hasan, Nivedita Menon, Ashutosh Varshney, Faisal Devji, Ramachandra Guha, Kris Srinivasan (former foreign secretary), Mahua Moitra, Jawhar Sircar, Annu Tandon, Anish Gawande, and Saif Ali Naqvi and Christophe Jaffrelot.

*The Edict will update the report subject to confirmation of the identities and affiliations referred to by RSM, CTF, and SSM. 

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(This report has been written and compiled by multiple editors at The Edict. We are grateful to our on-ground correspondents, especially Aditya Anurag Roy, for their commitment to accurate and timely reporting)