Supreme Court Condemns Assam Professor for Obscene Posts and Harassment of Women Online

The Supreme Court on Wednesday severely criticized a professor from an Assam college who was arrested for creating anti-India and obscene content on social media, describing him as "a threat to young girls" and a "pervert" who should be banned from entering educational institutions.

Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, reviewing the case of Md Joynal Abedin, formerly of Gossaigaon College in Kokrajhar district, denied his request for interim bail. The Court stated that Abedin had demonstrated a pattern of stalking women online and making inappropriate comments, making him unsuitable for release.

"You regularly harass women on social media with obscene remarks. You are perverted and pose a danger to young female students," the bench declared.

"What kind of professor behaves this way? You bring shame to the title of Professor. You should be prohibited from entering any college," the justices further remarked.

The petitioner's attorney claimed Abedin had apologized for the post that led to his arrest and had deleted it upon realizing it was against national interests.

The lawyer also mentioned that while charges had been filed, the trial remained stalled because the Gossaigaon court had been without a judicial officer for approximately six months.

Representatives for the Assam government countered that Abedin was a repeat offender with a history of posting offensive content on social media platforms.

After examining his social media activity, the bench expressed shock at the language used, describing Abedin as having a "dirty mind" and representing a "threat to society."

"Should we ask you to read these posts aloud so everyone understands their content?" the justices asked the counsel.

The petitioner's lawyer reiterated that Abedin had apologized and had already lost his job as consequence of his actions.

"The court may impose any conditions, which he will follow. Please grant bail since charges have been filed," the attorney requested.

Noting that Abedin was arrested on May 16, the Supreme Court asked the state's counsel to verify the absence of judicial officers at the Gossaigaon court.

The Court requested the Gauhati High Court Chief Justice to address this issue by either assigning a judicial officer to the Gossaigaon court or transferring Abedin's case to the sessions court in Kokrajhar district.

"We will consider interim bail possibilities later," the bench informed his counsel.

Abedin, a resident of Gosaigaon, allegedly published anti-India content in May, leading to his initial detention and subsequent arrest.