Ali Khan Mahmudabad gets bail, but, but, but…

Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar

Ali Khan Mahmudabad gets bail, but, but, but…

The context: The Associate Professor at Ashoka University was arrested by Haryana police over Facebook posts that said:

I am very happy to see so many right wing commentators applauding Colonel Sofiya Qureshi but perhaps they could also equally loudly demand that the victims of mob lynchings, arbitrary bulldozing and others who are victims of the BJP’s hate mongering be protected as Indian citizens… The optics of two women soldiers presenting their findings is important but optics must translate to reality on the ground otherwise it’s just hypocrisy.

Two separate FIRs were filed—including one by Haryana State Women Commission Chairperson Renu Bhatia—which claimed Khan disparaged women in uniform. Khan was then booked on a variety of charges under the new penal code—including sedition, endangering national security and promoting religious enmity.

What happened now: Ruling on his petition, the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Khan—but did not throw out the case against him. Instead, it has ordered for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) “to understand the complexity and for proper appreciation of the language used in the post.” English 101 for our honoured justices—on taxpayer money, no less! The ruling also places stringent bail conditions on Khan. He can’t write or give speeches about his posts, the allegations—or anything related to the India-Pakistan conflict.

The most worrying bit: Justice Surya Kant—the seniormost justice on this two-person bench—said this about the case:

Stating that while everyone has a right to express themselves, Justice Surya Kant asked if this was the right time to speak on the issue. “Everybody has a right to express free speech. But is it the time to talk of this much communal..? The country has faced a big challenge. Monsters came all the way and attacked our innocents. We were staying united. But at this juncture, why to gain cheap popularity on this occasion?” the judge asked…This is what we call in the law — dog whistling.”

Justice Kant suggested Khan should use “neutral language” in the future—but never once pointed to what he found specifically hurtful in his posts.

Irony alert: Justice Kant essentially took away Khan’s right to free speech—just like he did in banning Allahbadia and his associates from airing “any show” on YouTube or other audio-visual platforms “until further orders.” And he did it without offering any legal justification.

Justice K’s track record: The judge has a worrying track record on freedom of speech. For instance, when Ranveer Allahbadia (Beer Biceps) appealed against his arrest (for making an icky joke on India’s Got Latent), Justice Kant granted him protection from arrest but also rebuked him: “He is insulting parents also! There is something dirty in this person's mind that has been spread through this programme. Why should the courts favour him?” He also went after host Samay Raina: “These youngsters may think that we are outdated but we know how to deal with them. Don’t take the court lightly.”

The underlying big Q: Why did Chief Justice B R Gavai assign this case to Justice Kant—given his track record of personal tirades and moral policing. As Saurav Das explains, in 2022, a Supreme Court bench—with Justice Kant—held that stopping Zubair from tweeting amounts to “an unconstitutional gag order.” Yet here we are just three years later:

If a judge radically departs from a legal reasoning they previously endorsed, judicial discipline demands an explanation in the order. The lack of one here reinforces concerns about what I call “vibe jurisprudence,” where judicial outcomes are contingent on individual judges rather than consistent legal principles. The only rationale behind this restriction is the biases of the bench, reflected in the remarks made before the order was dictated…

BBC News and Indian Express have more on Khan’s bail. Business Standard has more on Justice Kant’s track record of rants, while The Wire looks at broader implications of the Supreme Court’s moral policing.

Oops, he did it again: Trump humiliates South Africa president

Visiting the White House has become a hazardous tour of duty for heads of state. First, Donald Trump and JD Vance yelled at Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Yesterday, the Orange Hazard turned his guns on South African president Cyril Ramaphosa. He accused Ramaphosa of slaughtering white Afrikaner farmers and taking their land—which is a big fat lie, of course.

What’s astonishing and new: A bizarre multimedia presentation that included damning video ‘evidence’:

A booming video mash-up began to play, including footage of people calling for violence against white farmers in South Africa. One clip showed white crosses planted alongside a rural road stretching far into the distance, which Mr. Trump said were part of a burial site for murdered white farmers. The crosses were actually planted by activists staging a protest against farm murders.

You can see the strange scene below:

All of which ended with Trump flaunting printed copies of supposed news stories—chanting ‘death, death, horrible death’ (the last presumably being worse than plain old ‘death):

But, but, but: Ramaphosa had come armed with the one weapon likely to shut Donald Trump up—a very rich, white man—in this case, South African billionaire Johann Peter Rupert who basically called him a liar:

Reminder: Trump has never said a word against the actual genocide in Gaza. He didn’t say a word to the Arab leaders who have a well-established track record in repression (especially the Saudi Prince Salman). In fact, Trump reassured him that America will no longer be "giving you lectures on how to live."

The bottomline: The exchange that summed up the entire debacle (also watch it here):

“I am sorry I don’t have a plane to give you,” Mr. Ramaphosa said to Mr. Trump.

“I wish you did,” Mr. Trump replied. “I’d take it. If your country offered the U.S. Air Force a plane, I would take it.”

Reading list: BBC News has a detailed report on the trainwreck in the Oval Office. New York Times (splainer gift link) has a must-read on how his Afrikaner claims are shaped by his own white supremacist views. CNN offers a fact-check—in case you need it.

Security forces kill key Maoist leader

Nambala Keshavrao alias Basavaraju was among 27 extremists gunned down yesterday morning—in a 50-hour clash with security forces in the Abhujmad forest in Chhattisgarh. He is considered one of the most senior leaders in the Maoist ranks:

Basavaraju, 69, general secretary of the banned CPI (Maoist) who had a bounty of Rs 2 crore on his head, was considered the most influential figure in the outfit and his death is being seen as a major blow to the Naxal movement in the region.

About Basavaraju: He was trained by the Sri Lankan Tamil militia LTTE in jungle warfare and tactics. He even tried to teach Maoists how to make their own rocket launchers. Basavaraju led some of the bloodiest attacks on security forces—killing 76 at a CRPF camp in 2010—and a number of politicians in a 2018 attack.

What’s next: Under severe pressure in Chattisgarh, Maoists have been trying to regroup in the Andhra-Odisha border area since 2022:

The AOB has always been a fertile ground for the banned CPI (Maoist) for its inaccessible terrain and thick forest cover. About 60% of AOB is inaccessible by road. Certain areas such as Galikonda and Gurtedu are thickly forested, making the combing operation difficult. A Maoist document recovered from an encounter site mentioned a proposal about shifting the entire central committee team to the region in case of extreme emergency.

But, but, but: According to The Hindu, Maoists are losing political ground with tribal communities who “are refusing to join as they are happy with the government schemes and benefits.”

Reading list: The Telegraph has the most details on the Basavaraju killing. The Hindu profiles Basavaraju—and looks at what the Maoists will do next.

A significant global survey on Trump tariffs

A new survey spoke to 4,500 exporters—spread across nine of the largest economies—including the US, China, Germany, and Singapore. Taken together, these nations account for 60% of the global GDP. So the bad news it uncovered is all the more alarming.

Before Donald Trump’s Liberation Day—when he slapped outrageously high tariffs on everyone—only 5% of companies expected export revenues to fall. Today, that number has jumped to 42%. There is worse:

Global export losses could total $305 billion in 2025, the survey said, and less than half of companies now expect export growth. Around 27% of firms said they might have to briefly halt production due to currency volatility from the tariffs.

Price hike ahoy!: Most of these companies plan to pass on the pain to customers—especially in the US—where 54% will raise their prices.

Point to note: New Delhi is upbeat about inking an “interim” free trade deal by July 8—when Trump’s 90-day deadline expires. It hopes to at least avoid the 26% tariff announced by Trump on L-Day. But there is no evidence so far of such a reprieve. Reuters and Quartz offer overviews of the survey. You can find the full study here.

what caught our eye

business & tech

SAG-AFTRA accused Llama Productions—a subsidiary of Fortnite-creator Epic Games—of violating labor agreements. The reason: They replaced a human performer for Darth Vader with AI without their permission. Also an issue: AI Darth Vader spits racist slurs.
Speaking of Fortnite: the battle royale game returns to the US App Store after a five-year gap—after the long-drawn out lawsuit against Apple (explainer here).
On May 18, Chicago Sun-Times published fake AI generated book recommendations alongside real ones for its summer activities column. The publication is looking into how this happened.
Here’s some nerdy news about lasers—the ZEUS laser just produced a pulse that was roughly 100X the entire planet’s power output—making it the most powerful laser beam in the country.

sports & entertainment

Snoopy’s back on stage—Apple TV+ is dropping the first Peanuts musical in 35 years, with original tunes by Ben Folds and Jeff Morrow landing July 18.
Thanks to a scrappy goal from Brennan Johnson, Tottenham Hotspur edged out Manchester United to win the Europa League. It’s their first major trophy since 2008.
CSK slump deeper—Vaibhav Suryavanshi stars as RR seal a rare chase win with 17 balls to spare.
At Cannes 2025, the biopic ‘Kalam: The Missile Man of India’ was unveiled, with Dhanush set to star as Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.

health & environment

Clocking too many hours on your butt? A new study links long sitting spells to brain shrinkage—no matter how much you exercise.
Cold sores might do more than sting—new research links the herpes virus to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s later in life.
Gujarat’s lions are roaring back—the population’s jumped 32% since 2020, with nearly 900 big cats now prowling the state.
England will be the first country in the world to start rolling out vaccination programmes against gonorrhoea—starting August 1.

meanwhile, in the world

The 10 richest Americans added $365 billion to their fortunes last year—and now they’re eyeing a massive tax cut as Republicans push a bill that could gut nearly $1 trillion from safety net programs.
Trump’s $175 billion ‘Golden Dome’ missile plan takes a page from Israel’s Iron Dome playbook, aiming to shield the US with space-based weapons by 2029.
Reuters in an exclusive reveals that a hacker who breached former Trump national security adviser Mike Waltz’s comms app also swiped data from across the US government.
Looks like xenon gas works: Four ex-British special forces soldiers—joined by a UK minister—just summited Everest in under five days, skipping acclimatisation and using the gas in a record-breaking, high-speed ascent.
China and Pakistan are roping Afghanistan into their Economic Corridor (CPEC)—pitching the move as a push for regional peace, stability, and development.
The Guardian has an in-depth look at how a bombing at a Palm Springs IVF clinic exposed the dark online rabbit holes pulling young men toward extremist paranoia.
BBC News has the lowdown on Finland’s sauna craze going global—and whether all that sweating is actually good for you.
Associated Press has a good read on how USAID cuts in Mali have gutted a local language program that once empowered thousands.

meanwhile, in India

A month after the April 22 carnage, militants in Pahalgam’s rugged terrain continue to evade security forces, exposing the limits of high-tech drones and helicopters against jungle warfare tactics.
The Delhi High Court has tossed out Vantara’s contempt plea against Himal Southasian—saying there was no order asking the mag to pull its wildlife exposé.
Abhijit Iyer-Mitra agreed to delete his abusive posts targeting women journalists of Newslaundry after Delhi HC warns of FIR—“Can these kind of language against women be permissible in the society?” asks Justice Kaurav.

Four things to see

One: Graduating Columbia seniors booed at the university’s acting president, Claire Shipman during the graduation ceremony—chanting ‘Free Mahmoud’. Reminder: Mahmoud Khalil—who completed his masters degree from Columbia in December—was arrested without warrant, and remains in detention despite having a green card. The reason why he was unable to accept his diploma on Sunday. See the booing vid below. (The Guardian)

But, but, but: the booing was relatively tame compared to the chaos outside the gates of the campus—where around 100 students clashed with the police as they attempted to disrupt the graduation ceremony. Some of them even tore up and/or burned their diplomas. Watch them below.

Two: A Trump bhakt bought a $640 watch—part of the evergrowing line of Donald merch—as a gift for his wife. The “Inauguration First Lady” is described as a “gold-tone, pink-dialed, limited-edition” watch with ‘TRUMP’ written on the dial. It totally lived up to the hype except for one teeny omission—as you can see below. This amusing NBC report explains the bigger scam behind this misspelled watch. (GQ)

Three: As part of our daily Cannes round-up, here is 95-year-old June Squibb getting a 5-minute standing ovation. She plays the lead in Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut ‘Eleanor The Great’—which sadly may not be very good, according to The Guardian and Hollywood Reporter. (Variety)

Four: Taupō—a scenic town in the heart of New Zealand—just got a gleaming new resident: ‘Boom Boom’—a 7-metre-tall stainless steel dinosaur. Sadly, it has not been appreciated by some who call it a $100,000 “eyesaur.” We personally like a shiny dino, but you may disagree. (BBC News)