Who Is Ali Khan Mahmudabad? Ashoka University Professor Arrested Over Operation Sindoor Remarks

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a plea filed by Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, who was arrested for his controversial remarks related to Operation Sindoor. The plea was filed by Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal before a bench led by Chief Justice of India B R Gavai seeking an immediate hearing on the matter. The apex court has listed the matter for hearing on May 20 or May 21. 

Who is Ali Khan Mahmudabad?

Ali Khan Mahmudabad is an Associate professor and the Head of the Department of Political Science at Ashoka University in Sonipat in Haryana. Mahmudabad is the son of late Mohammad Amir Mohammad Khan, also referred to as the Raja Saheb of Mahmudabad. His father fought a 40-year battle to retrieve ancestral properties that were seized under the Enemy Properties Act. Mohammad Amir Ahmed Khan, his grandfather, was the last ruling king of Mahmudabad and a key contributor to the Muslim league before India’s partition. 

Ali was born on December 2, 1982 in Lucknow where he pursued his early education. He later attended King’s College School in the UK before graduating from Winchester College in 2001. He pursued his MPhil and PhD in Historical studies and from the University of Cambridge before studying Arabic at the University of Damascus in Syria. 

He had also entered politics for a brief period joining the Samajwadi Party in 2017. His spouse also hails from a family with political inclinations. She is the daughter of Haseeb Drabu, a former minister in Jammu and Kashmir.

He was arrested for a social media post that was made on May 8 related to Operation Sindoor. The Haryana State Commission for Women took suo motu cognizance of his remarks while accusing him of undermining the dignity of women in the armed forces and promoting communal disharmony.