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The Mahmudabad Precedent: How Legal Leniency And Historical Hypocrisy Undermined India’s Sovereignty

Swarajya Staff

May 21, 2025, 01:10 PM | Updated 01:10 PM IST


Can those who benefited from judicial leniency that arguably compromised national security rightly criticise military actions meant to protect it?

Left: A photo of Mohammad Amir Ahmad Khan with Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Right: Amir Ahmad Khan's grandson, Ali Khan Mahmudabad.
Left: A photo of Mohammad Amir Ahmad Khan with Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Right: Amir Ahmad Khan's grandson, Ali Khan Mahmudabad.

The arrest of Ali Khan Mahmudabad, Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at Ashoka University, over his social media comments regarding Operation Sindoor, transcends mere free speech concerns. 

Belonging to the dynasty that funded Partition and exploited legal loopholes to regain “enemy properties,” Mahmudabad now lectures the state on morality while profiting from the state’s property.

At its core lies a fundamental question: can those who benefit from judicial leniency that arguably compromised national security interests, rightfully critique military operations designed to protect those very interests? 


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