The Superior Court of India granted the bond on Wednesday to a teacher arrested for commenting online about the military conflict with Pakistan, but did not stop the investigation against him.
Ali Khan Mahmudabad, Professor of Political Science at the Private University of Ashoka of Liberal Arts, was arrested Sunday by a Facebook post that criticizes those who “defend without thinking” for war.
He also wrote that the “optics” of two officials of the Army who had had press information sessions “must translate into reality in the field, otherwise it is only hypocrisy.”
Mahmudabad said his comments had been “misunderstood” and that he had exercised his “fundamental right to freedom of thought and speak.”
He is accused of multiple sections of the Criminal Code of India, including the weighting of the sovereignty of the country and the use of words or gestures with the intention of insulting the modesty of a woman.
By granting Mahmudabad's bond, the Supreme Court of India said it should have avoided “use of complicated words” that could “harm people” and, on the other hand, used “simpler words to convey their feelings.”
The court also led the formation of a special police team to investigate their comments.
Mahmudabad was restricted to comment on the Pakistan-India conflict or in the social networks that led to their arrest.
India and Pakistan agreed to stop the fire last week after four days of intense artillery exchanges, drones and missiles.
The last escalation among the rivals with nuclear weapons occurred after 26 people were killed on April 22 in illegally occupied Indians Jammu and Kashmira (Iiojk).
Amnesty International described his arrest as “shameful” and accused the authorities of “making constant use of the law to attack anyone who has a critical opinion.”
The Mahmudabad post on May 8 referred to two women soldiers, including the Muslim officer Sofiya Qureshi, who conducted information in the army's press before the high fire and were praised for presenting the image of a united and progressive India.
He said he was “happy” that Hindu nationalist commentators were supporting women, but that they could “also demand” the protection of the “victim of BJP hatred”, referring to the Bharatiya Janata party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi (BJP).
Shortly after, the Government Women's Rights Commission in the state of Haryana summoned Mahmudabad about his comments.
