'You need a dictionary': Supreme Court questions SIT line of probe into Ashoka University professor case

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi asked the Haryana SIT headed by a senior police officer to only confine itself to the two FIRs against Ali Khan Mahmudabad over his contentious social media posts and see if there was an offence and submit its report in four weeks.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned the line of investigation by Haryana's SIT formed on its direction in connection with the case against Ashoka University professor, saying "it misdirected itself".

Putting on hold further summoning of the professor, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi told the SIT that "you do not need him, you need a dictionary!".

The professor, Ali Khan Mahmudabad, was booked for social media posts on Operation Sindoor.

The court told the Haryana SIT, headed by a senior police officer, to confine itself to the two FIRs against the professor in connection with his contentious social media posts.

The bench asked the SIT to examine if there was an offence and submit its report in four weeks, and made it clear that there is no need to further summon the petitioner again to join the investigation.

"We are asking why SIT is, on the face of it, misdirecting itself? They were supposed to examine the contents of the posts," the bench said.

A counsel, representing the state government, sought to know if the professor can be asked to join the investigation at any point. The bench said, "You do not need him, you need a dictionary!"

The court emphasised that the scope of the investigation is limited only to the two FIRs and made it clear that the professor is free to write on any subject other than the sub judice matter.

The bench asked the SIT to complete the investigation within four weeks.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the professor, submitted that his client was also questioned regarding the places he had travelled to in the past 10 years. The bench made it clear that the investigation should be in the right direction.

The court pointed out that the essence of the SIT was to focus on the holistic understanding of the phraseology employed and for proper appreciation of the expressions contained in the two social media posts.

The bench said it cannot comment on where the SIT is headed. “We, however, remind the SIT of the mandate in our order dated May 28," the bench said.

The court also said the restraint order passed on the petitioner from making comments on social media on May 21 was confined to two posts, which was the subject matter of investigation and he was free to write and comment on other topics.

The petitioner was arrested in May for a social media post on the government's choice of Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh for Operation Sindoor briefings.

He was granted bail by the apex court with conditions that he would not write any article or upload an online post or deliver any speech in connection with the case against him, and also he would refrain from commenting on the Pahalgam attack or Operation Sindoor, and he would surrender his passport.