Who is Ali Khan Mahmudabad, grandson of Mahmudabad's last king who took Pakistani citizenship and fought to reclaim Hazratganj?
The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted interim bail to Ali Khan Mahmudabad, , Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at
Ashoka University
after his arrest over a social media post about
Operation Sindoor
. However, the investigation against him will continue. The bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotisar Singh granted bail on condition that Mahmudabad furnishes bail bonds to the satisfaction of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) in Sonipat. They also directed him not to publish any online articles or speeches related to the posts under investigation. 'Why try to gain cheap popularity?' the Supreme Court asked
Ali Khan Mahmudabad
during the hearing of his case.
Delhi Police arrested Ali Khan Mahmudabad, Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at Ashoka University, on May 18 over a social media post related to Operation Sindoor — India's military response to the recent Pahalgam terrorist attacks. The arrest followed a complaint filed by a member of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. The Haryana State Commission for Women had also issued a notice to Mahmudabad in connection with his remarks.
Complaint leads to police action
The complaint, which led to Mahmudabad's arrest, cited his comments on a social media platform regarding the ongoing military operation. Authorities have not publicly disclosed the exact contents of the post. Following the complaint, Delhi Police took him into custody, and legal proceedings are currently underway.
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In addition to the police action, the Haryana State Commission for Women sent a notice to Mahmudabad. The commission's move came amid public discussions surrounding the social media post, which had drawn reactions from political circles and civil society.
Ali Khan Mahmudabad: Royal lineage and family history
Ali Khan Mahmudabad belongs to the
Mahmudabad royal family
of Lucknow. His father,
Mohammad Amir Mohammad Khan
— popularly known as Raja Sahab Mahmudabad — served as a Congress MLA from Mahmudabad and was known in the Awadh region. He led a long legal battle to reclaim properties that were taken under the
Enemy Properties Act
. These included Butler Palace, Halwasiya Market, big part of Lucknow's famous
Hazratganj
market, and Mahmudabad Qila in Lucknow, along with estates in Sitapur, Nainital, and other areas.
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His grandfather, Mohammad Amir Ahmad Khan, was the last ruling Raja of Mahmudabad and supported the Muslim League financially before independence. His mother, Rani Vijay, is the daughter of Jagat Singh Mehta, who served as India's Foreign Secretary between 1976 and 1979.
Mahmudabad is married to the daughter of Haseeb Drabu, who served as Finance Minister in Jammu and Kashmir during the PDP–BJP alliance from 2015 to 2018.
Ali Khan Mahmudabad family's properties affected by Enemy Properties Act
The properties of the Mahmudabad royal family came under government control following the enforcement of the Enemy Properties Act. The law was introduced after the 1962 India–China war, allowing the government to take over assets belonging to individuals considered enemies of the state. This included citizens who migrated to Pakistan after the Partition or to countries seen as hostile during wartime. The act was later extended during the 1965 India–Pakistan war.
Mohammad Amir Ahmad Khan, the last ruling Raja of Mahmudabad and grandfather of Ali Khan Mahmudabad, left India in 1947 and settled in Iraq. He acquired Pakistani citizenship in 1957. His association with Mohammad Ali Jinnah and the Muslim League before independence is part of the family's political history. Following his naturalisation in Pakistan, his Indian properties — including estates in Lucknow, Sitapur, and Nainital — were classified as enemy properties and were taken over by the government.
His son, Mohammad Amir Mohammad Khan, later launched a long legal battle to reclaim these assets.
Ali Khan Mahmudabad: Education and academic work
Mahmudabad completed his early education at La Martiniere in Lucknow. He then studied at King's College School and Winchester College in the UK. He holds an MPhil and PhD in Historical Studies from the University of Cambridge and studied Arabic at the University of Damascus. He has travelled extensively in the Middle East and has contributed to publications such as National Geographic.
At Ashoka University, Mahmudabad focused on the political identity of Muslims in North India between 1850 and 1950. His doctoral research examined concepts such as public poetry gatherings (mush'irah), the idea of homeland (watan), and Muslim identity. His book Poetry of Belonging: Muslim Imaginings of India 1850–1950 was published in 2020. He has also written about Sufis, Shias, and the cultural history of Awadh and Lucknow.
Ali Khan Mahmudabad's Brief political involvement
In 2018, Mahmudabad joined the Samajwadi Party and became its national spokesperson from 2019 to 2022. Though once seen as close to party leader Akhilesh Yadav, he has not held a formal party role since 2022.
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