The Supreme Court on Monday quashed one of the two FIRs registered against an associate professor of Ashoka University related to his social media posts on Operation Sindoor.

A bench headed by Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi also restrained the trial court from taking cognisance of the second FIR against Ali Khan Mahmudabad as it posted the matter for further hearing to October 27.

The Haryana SIT, constituted to investigate the two FIRs registered against Mahmudabad over his contentious social media posts, informed the bench that it had filed a closure report in one of the cases and a chargesheet on August 22 in the other after it was found that some offences had been committed.

The bench also exempted the SIT officials from appearing before the court from the next date of hearing.

The court passed the order after hearing senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Sidharth Luthra, appearing for Mahmudabad, and additional solicitor-general S.V. Raju, representing the Haryana government.

“The members of the SIT are present in court. Their presence in the future is dispensed with. In view of the closure report filed by the SIT, FIR No. 146, dated May 17, 2025, registered at police station Rai, district Sonipat, Haryana and all the proceedings arising therefrom are hereby quashed,” the court ordered.

“However, this will have no bearing on the report prepared in the form of chargesheet in FIR No. 147/2025, dated May 18, 2025. Ordered accordingly. As regards FIR No 147/2025, a copy of the police report has been handed over to the learned senior counsel for the petitioner in court. Post the matter for further consideration on October 27, 2025. Meanwhile, no cognisance shall be taken of the chargesheet filed in FIR No 147/2025 without the leave of this court,” it added.

On July 16, the apex court had pulled up the SIT for “misdirecting” its investigation into the two FIRs lodged against Mahmudabad.

It had questioned the SIT for its apparent overreach in seizing the phone and electronic gadgets of the accused and for interrogating him on his foreign visits. It had directed the SIT to confine the investigation to only the two FIRs and complete the probe within four weeks.

The bench had also clarified that Mahmudabad was free to write his articles on any issues except in relation to the matter at hand, which was sub judice.

The apex court said the SIT didn’t need to quiz Mahmudabad further but should examine his contentious social media posts and see if there was an offence.