The Supreme Court on Monday closed criminal proceedings against Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad over his social media posts on cross-boder Operation Sindoor against Pakistan after the Haryana government agreed to the court’s suggestion to refuse sanction for his prosecution as a “one-time magnanimity”.. Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad.. A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi recorded the statement of the state and directed the closure. “Very gracefully, the state, as a one-time magnanimity, has decided not to grant sanction for prosecution. Consequently, the proceedings pending before the Judicial Magistrate First Class Sonepat, where a charge sheet is already filed, are directed to be closed for want of prosecution.”. Additional solicitor general (ASG) SV Raju, appearing for the Haryana government, told the court that, pursuant to the court’s suggestion on January 6, the state considered, as a one-time measure, that the case could be given closure by refusing a sanction for the prosecution. “This case is now a closed chapter. As a one-time magnanimity, the state has decided to refuse sanction.” Raju requested the court to pass an order that Mahmudabad should not indulge in such acts in the future.. The bench said it has no reason to doubt that Mahmudabad, a highly learned professor and domain expert, will act prudently. “We are all responsible citizens, but sometimes the situation becomes so sensitive,” the court said. “We do not want any discussion in open court, as things may be read between the lines.”. Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Mahmudabad, said, “This is a sufficient hint for the petitioner.” He requested the court to return Mahmudabad’s passport deposited with the trial court.. Mahmudabad was arrested in May 2025 over Facebook posts regarding Operation Sindoor, following complaints regarding his comments on military restraint and “performative patriotism”. The Supreme Court granted him interim bail on May 21, 2025, and relaxed conditions to allow him to write online. It formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate Mahmudabad’s posts.. The SIT informed the court in January that it applied for the prosecution sanction from the state government on August 22, 2025. Prior sanction of either the Central or state government is required under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for trials for offences of promoting enmity (section 196), assertions prejudicial to national integrity (section 197), and statements related to public mischief (section 353). The Supreme Court had earlier quashed criminal proceedings against Mahmudabad in one of the two cases and directed the trial court not to proceed in the second case. In November, the SIT recommended the closure of one case as the same allegations were covered in the second, in which the Haryana Police filed the charge sheet. 

 Air India and its budget carrier Air India Express on Monday announced the cancellation of all its flight to and from Dubai, hours after a drone strike was reported near the airport.. Air India and Air India Express have announced the cancellation of all flights to and from Dubai. (REUTERS). In a tweet, Air India said that the decision was taken because the Dubai International Airport has temporarily suspended all flight operations. It also said that passengers can either reschedule their flights for another date or cancel their booking and get a full refund.. Follow live updates on the situation in Dubai here.. “We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused by these unavoidable operational constraints,” the airline said, adding that the staff would be available to assist all passengers.. While the Dubai flights stand cancelled, Air India Express’ ad-hoc flight operations to and from Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, and Sharjah will continue as announced, the airline said.. A fire was reported near Dubai’s international airport on Monday after a drone-related incident, authorities said. “A drone incident in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport (DXB) affected one of the fuel tanks,” the Dubai Media Office posted on X.. Shortly after, the Dubai airport announced the suspension of flights for the day and major airlines like Emirates also advised passengers to not approach the airport. A Dubai-bound flight of the airline from Kochi returned hours after take-off following the drone incident near the airport.. Among all Middle Eastern countries targeted by Iran, the UAE has been worst hit, having engaged in 1,600 drones and more than 300 missiles since the conflict began. 

 Air India and its budget carrier Air India Express on Monday announced the cancellation of all its flight to and from Dubai, hours after a drone strike was reported near the airport.. Air India and Air India Express have announced the cancellation of all flights to and from Dubai. (REUTERS). In a tweet, Air India said that the decision was taken because the Dubai International Airport has temporarily suspended all flight operations. It also said that passengers can either reschedule their flights for another date or cancel their booking and get a full refund.. Follow live updates on the situation in Dubai here.. “We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused by these unavoidable operational constraints,” the airline said, adding that the staff would be available to assist all passengers.. While the Dubai flights stand cancelled, Air India Express’ ad-hoc flight operations to and from Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, and Sharjah will continue as announced, the airline said.. A fire was reported near Dubai’s international airport on Monday after a drone-related incident, authorities said. “A drone incident in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport (DXB) affected one of the fuel tanks,” the Dubai Media Office posted on X.. Shortly after, the Dubai airport announced the suspension of flights for the day and major airlines like Emirates also advised passengers to not approach the airport. A Dubai-bound flight of the airline from Kochi returned hours after take-off following the drone incident near the airport.. Among all Middle Eastern countries targeted by Iran, the UAE has been worst hit, having engaged in 1,600 drones and more than 300 missiles since the conflict began. 

 Air India and its budget carrier Air India Express on Monday announced the cancellation of all its flight to and from Dubai, hours after a drone strike was reported near the airport.. Air India and Air India Express have announced the cancellation of all flights to and from Dubai. (REUTERS). In a tweet, Air India said that the decision was taken because the Dubai International Airport has temporarily suspended all flight operations. It also said that passengers can either reschedule their flights for another date or cancel their booking and get a full refund.. Follow live updates on the situation in Dubai here.. “We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused by these unavoidable operational constraints,” the airline said, adding that the staff would be available to assist all passengers.. While the Dubai flights stand cancelled, Air India Express’ ad-hoc flight operations to and from Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, and Sharjah will continue as announced, the airline said.. A fire was reported near Dubai’s international airport on Monday after a drone-related incident, authorities said. “A drone incident in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport (DXB) affected one of the fuel tanks,” the Dubai Media Office posted on X.. Shortly after, the Dubai airport announced the suspension of flights for the day and major airlines like Emirates also advised passengers to not approach the airport. A Dubai-bound flight of the airline from Kochi returned hours after take-off following the drone incident near the airport.. Among all Middle Eastern countries targeted by Iran, the UAE has been worst hit, having engaged in 1,600 drones and more than 300 missiles since the conflict began. 

 US energy secretary Chris Wright hinted on Sunday that India might help the US to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil route which has been effectively closed since Washington launched strikes in Iran more than two weeks ago.. U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright’s comments come as Axios reported that Trump is working to assemble a coalition of countries to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. (REUTERS File). Addressing a press conference, Wright said that US President Donald Trump was “reaching out” to other countries to enlist help on the Strait of Hormuz issue. He further claimed that Trump told him about some countries which have “committed to aiding the United States”.. “President Trump told me on Saturday he’s reaching out to other countries to enlist their help to secure the Strait of Hormuz. And then in a post later in the day, he named some of the countries — China, Japan, the UK, France and South Korea. He told me some countries have committed to aiding the United States,” Wright told reporters.. Asked if he could give specific names of countries that would help secure the Strait of Hormuz, Chris Wright tried to dodge the question but named some nations, including India.. “So I won’t get in front of the President or make announcements on that, but I’ve been in dialogue with some of those nations, so I know that to be true. But I’m not going to leak any news in front of the President. The world depends on the flows through Hormuz, and most importantly, the Asian nations — Japan, Korea, China, Thailand, India — a meaningful part of their total energy supply comes from the Strait of Hormuz. So the whole world would be united in opening the Strait of Hormuz, and we will have the support of other nations to achieve that objective,” he said.. The comments come as Axios reported that Trump is working to assemble a coalition of countries to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and is hoping to announce it later this week. The outlet cited four sources for the update.. Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has told parliament that Tokyo has no plan to dispatch naval vessels to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.. “We have not made any decisions whatsoever about dispatching escort ships. We are continuing to examine what Japan can do independently and what can be done within the legal framework,” Takaichi said.. According to Reuters, experts have said that any closure of the Strait of Hormuz would restrict trade and impact worldwide oil prices. Since the war began, oil prices have soared to over $100 a barrel.. Around one-fifth of the world’s total oil consumption passes through the Strait of Hormuz. Between the start and end of 2022, approximately 17.8 million to 20.8 million barrels of crude, condensate and fuels flowed through the strait every day, data from Vortexa showed.. Members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Iraq, export the ma