New Delhi, Jan. 7 -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Haryana government whether it is interested in declining sanction for prosecuting Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad over his social media posts on Operation Sindoor and nudged the state to consider taking a "sympathetic" view. Dealing with a petition filed by Mahmudabad for clubbing the cases against him, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant said, "Once the state is willing to take a sympathetic view, we need not go into the merits." At the same time, the court also cautioned the petitioner from posting such messages in future reminding the petitioner that if the state decides to give a "burial" to the case, there is duty on his part to act responsibly. The bench, also comprising justice Joymalya Bagchi, said, "If we close this case, then he may start posting again. We are sure if the state shows magnanimity, the petitioner will act responsibly." Additional solicitor general (ASG) SV Raju appearing for Haryana sought time to take instructions from the state. He said, "We had applied for sanction from the state government on August 22, 2025. Sanction has not been granted."...