SC grants safety to cartoonist over ‘objectionable’ cartoons on PM, RSS
The Supreme Court docket on Tuesday, 15 July, granted safety from coercive motion to a cartoonist accused of sharing alleged objectionable cartoons of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS employees on social media.
A Bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Aravind Kumar, nevertheless, cautioned that if he continued to share offensive posts on social media, the state was free to take motion towards him beneath regulation.
“We should do one thing about it,” the Bench mentioned because it mulled passing orders on abusive social media posts.
Miffed over the alleged abusive on-line posts, it added, “Log kisi ko bhi, kuch bhi keh dete hain (Individuals say something to anybody).”
Cartoonist Hemant Malviya had challenged within the apex court docket a Madhya Pradesh Excessive Court docket order handed on July 3 refusing to grant him anticipatory bail.
He was booked by Lasudiya police station in Indore in Might on a grievance filed by lawyer and RSS employee Vinay Joshi who alleged that Malviya had harm non secular sentiments of Hindus and disturbed communal concord by importing objectionable materials on social media.
Advocate Vrinda Grover, representing Malviya, argued on July 14 that the problem associated a cartoon made in 2021 in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It could be unpalatable. Let me say it’s in poor style. Let me go to that extent. However is it an offence? My lords have mentioned, it may be offensive however it isn’t an offence. I’m merely on regulation. I’m not attempting to justify something,” she mentioned whereas agreeing to delete the alleged offensive put up.
“No matter we could do with this case, however that is undoubtedly the case that the liberty of speech and expression is being abused,” Justice Dhulia then noticed.
Extra solicitor basic Okay M Nataraj, showing for Madhya Pradesh, mentioned such “issues” had been repeatedly completed.
When Grover mentioned there ought to be some maturity, Nataraj mentioned, “It’s not the query of maturity alone. It’s one thing extra.”
The FIR talked about numerous “objectionable” posts, together with allegedly inappropriate feedback on Lord Shiva in addition to cartoons, movies, images and feedback concerning Modi, RSS employees and others.
Malviya’s lawyer within the excessive court docket contended that he solely posted a cartoon, and couldn’t be held accountable for feedback posted by different Fb customers.
