Lucknow, May 20 -- Civil society groups in Lucknow have rallied strongly around Dr Ali Khan Mahmudabad, an associate professor at Ashoka University and a descendant of the royal family of Mahmudabad in Uttar Pradesh, who was arrested on May 18 after two cases were registered against him in Sonipat, Haryana, over social media posts related to Operation Sindoor briefings. The Supreme Court has agreed to an urgent hearing this week for the associate professor's petition challenging his arrest. Ali Khan Mahmudabad is an alumnus of the La Martiniere College, Lucknow. From 2019 to 2022, he also served as the national spokesperson for the Samajwadi Party. BJP leader and former Ambedkar Nagar MP Ritesh Pandey has called for a fair and transparent legal process. Former Lucknow University vice chancellor Roop Rekha Verma, junior vice president of the civil society platform Sanjhi Duniya, defended Mahmudabad, stating, "He has not humiliated anyone or written anything offensive against women. His words were misrepresented." La Martiniere Girls' College principal Ashrita Dass said, "I am worried for him. I've read the post in question and do not find anything objectionable in it." Film-maker Iqbal Kidwai, an alumnus of La Martiniere College like Ali Khan Mahmudabad, said the college stands firmly in his support. Prominent bodies such as the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA), People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA), Bhartiya Mahila Federation, and the All India Progressive Women's Association (AIPWA) have issued statements demanding a fair legal process and condemning what they perceive as an assault on freedom of expression. Individuals representing these groups - including Madhu Garg, Vandana Rai, and Suman Singh from AIDWA; Vandana Mishra from PUCL; Kanti Mishra and Asha Mishra from the Bhartiya Mahila Federation; Dinkar Kapoor of AIPF; Rakesh from IPTA; Naish Hasan from Janwadi Lekhak Sangh; and Meena Singh from AIPWA - have all extended their solidarity with Ali Khan Mahmudabad. Dr Mahmudabad's close friends and associates - including scholars Dr Kalbe Noori Hussain Afsar and Ali Congress chairperson Rubina Murtaza also voiced their concern....