Top court says Mahmudabad should have avoided \u201cuse of complicated words\u201d which could \u201churt individuals\u201d
\n new delhi
\nIndia\u2019s top court granted bail on Wednesday to a professor arrested for commenting online about the military conflict with Pakistan, but did not stop the investigation against him.
\nAli Khan Mahmudabad, a political science professor at the private, liberal-arts Ashoka University, was arrested on Sunday over a Facebook post criticising those \u201cmindlessly advocating\u201d for war.
\nHe also wrote that the \u201coptics\u201d of two women army officers who had held press briefings \u201cmust translate to reality on the ground otherwise it\u2019s just hypocrisy\u201d.
\nMahmudabad since said his comments had been \u201cmisunderstood\u201d and that he had exercised his \u201cfundamental right to freedom of thought and speech\u201d.
\nHe is charged under multiple sections of India\u2019s criminal code, including endangering the country\u2019s sovereignty and using words or gestures with the intention of insulting the modesty of a woman.
\nWhile granting Mahmudabad bail, India\u2019s Supreme Court said he should have avoided \u201cuse of complicated words\u201d which could \u201churt individuals\u201d and instead used \u201csimpler words to convey his sentiments\u201d.
\nThe court also directed the formation of a special police team to probe his comments.
\nMahmudabad was restricted from commenting on the Pakistan-India conflict or on the social media post that led to his arrest.
\nIndia and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire last week after four days of intense exchanges of artillery, drones, and missiles.
\nThe latest escalation between the nuclear-armed rivals came after 26 people were killed on April 22 in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
\nAmnesty International called his arrest \u201cshameful\u201d and accused authorities of \u201cconsistently misusing the law to target anyone who has a critical view\u201d.
\nMahmudabad\u2019s post on May 8 referred to two women soldiers \u2014 including Muslim officer Sofiya Qureshi \u2014 who conducted army press briefings before the ceasefire and were praised for presenting the image of a united and progressive India.
\nHe said he was \u201chappy\u201d that Hindu nationalist commentators were supporting the women, but that they could \u201cequally loudly demand\u201d the protection of \u201cvictims of the BJP\u2019s hate mongering\u201d \u2014 referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u00b4s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
\nSoon after, the government women\u2019s rights commission in Haryana state summoned Mahmudabad over his comments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Top court says Mahmudabad should have avoided \u201cuse of complicated words\u201d which could \u201churt individuals\u201d new delhi India\u2019s top court granted bail on Wednesday to a professor arrested for commenting online about the military conflict with Pakistan, but did not stop the investigation against him. Ali Khan Mahmudabad, a political science professor at the private, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":480056,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-480034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n