The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to an Assam college professor, suspended over molestation charges, in a case related to his alleged anti-India and pro-Pakistan social media posts, adding that it should not be construed as ground for his reinstatement.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi passed the conditional bail order while dealing with an appeal filed by Joynal Abedin, a former professor of Government Gossaigaon College in Kokrajhar.
Abedin had challenged the orders of a trial court and Gauhati High Court declining his bail plea.
At an earlier hearing, the top court had orally remarked that Abedin was of a “perverted” mindset after the Assam government informed it about the FIRs registered against the professor for molesting girls, including a minor.
On Monday, the bench granted bail to Abedin after noting that he had been in jail for six months and the trial proceedings would take considerable time to conclude, leading to his prolonged incarceration.
“…Taking into consideration all these aspects and without expressing any opinion on the merits the application is allowed and the petitioner is directed to be released on bail subject to furnishing bonds as may be directed. Let the applicant be present in the court for every hearing…,” the CJI said while dictating the order
“…This order shall not be construed as a ground for reinstatement of the petitioner… since there are allegations of acts against girl students…,” he added.
The Assam police had accused Abedin of hailing Pakistanis as “brothers” in social media posts following the Pahalgam terror attack.
The high court had dismissed Abedin’s bail plea, noting that his Facebook posts were against the interests of the country because instead of standing by India, he chose to side with Pakistan. The court had observed that Abedin had not only violated his fundamental right to free speech and expression, but also failed to comply with his duty to the country as envisaged under Article 51A of the Constitution.
According to Article 51A, it is the duty of every citizen “to uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India… to defend the country and render national service when called up to do so…”