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Posted on 10 September 2012
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Aseem Trivedi accepts bail, says will fight against sedition law
He had denied to accept bail till sedition charges against him, for his cartoons allegedly mocking Parliament, were not withdrawn
Tehelka.com Bureau
New Delhi
Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi on Wednesday 12 September accepted the conditional bail granted to him by the Bombay High Court on a personal bond of Rs 5,000.
Trivedi was met outside the Arthur Road jail by hundreds of supporters of India Against Corruption, who had said they would protest outside the jail until he was released. He promised that he would continue to fight against the sedition law, which he termed draconian. “Our fight will continue as long as the government continues to curb freedom of expression,” he said. Trivedi rejected the suggestion that he had defamed the institution of Parliament through his cartoons. “Cash was taken in; porn and blue films are seen in Parliament. Is that shaming the institution or what I did?” he asked.
A public interest litigation (PIL) for bail for the cartoonist filed by lawyer Sanskar Marathe had called his arrest illegal and unjustified. Maharashtra home minister RR Patil suggested to reporters that the sedition charges may be withdrawn, but declined to comment further as the case was sub-judice.
letters@tehelka.com
Aseem Trivedi granted bail but stays put in jail
The cartoonist refuses to accept bail granted by Bombay High Court until sedition charges against him are dropped
Tehelka.com Bureau
New Delhi
Despite being granted bail by the Bombay High Court on Tuesday 11 September, cartoonist Aseem Trivedi refused to accept bail and stayed put in jail. Trivedi has said that he won't accept his bail till sedition charges against him are not withdrawn. He was arrested on 8 September after a complaint was filed against him which stated that he had put up posters of his cartoons mocking the Indian constitution at India Against Corruption's (IAC) protest in December 2011, Mumbai.
After meeting Trivedi at Arthur Road Jail on Tuesday, IAC member Arvind Kejriwal said that IAC members will protest outside the jail if Trivedi is not released by Friday 14 September. “If govt (sic) does not withdraw cases agnst Aseem by Fri, v will go and sit in front of jail from sat to demand- either release Aseem or arrest us,” Kejriwal wrote on social networking website Twitter.
Earlier on Tuesday, the court granted Trivedi bail on furnishing a personal bond and a surety of Rs 5,000. He was earlier remanded to judicial custody till 24 September for creating cartoons that allegedly mock the Indian Constitution.
Cartoonist sent to jail over sedition charges
Aseem Trivedi has been remanded to judicial custody for creating cartoons that allegedly mock the Indian Constitution
Tehelka.com Bureau
New Delhi
A Mumbai court on Monday, 10 September, sent cartoonist Aseem Trivedi to judicial custody till 24 September over charges of sedition. Trivedi has been charged for his allegedly seditious cartoons mocking the Indian Constitution and disrespecting national emblems.
Amit Katarnayea, a member of Republican Party of India, had filed a complaint against Trivedi, saying that he had put up posters of his cartoons mocking the Indian constitution at India Against Corruption's (IAC) protest in December 2011, Mumbai. Based on the complaint, Trivedi was arrested on Saturday, 8 September, under IPC Section 124 (sedition), section 66 A of Information Technology Act and section 2 of Prevention of Insults to Nation Honour Act. He was initially remanded to police custody till 16 September, but the court on Monday extended his custody till 24 September.
Meanwhile, Trivedi has said that he will not file a bail application until the sedition charges against him are withdrawn. “I am proud of what I have done. If telling the truth makes me a traitor then I am one,” Trivedi said, prior to appearing before the court on Monday.
The court's decision was met with strong reactions on social networking websites. Several people shared the cartoons, which allegedly led to the charges against Trivedi, in protest against what they saw as an attempt by the State to curb the right to freedom of expression.
On micro-blogging website Twitter, IAC member Arvind Kejriwal wrote, “Aseem Trivedi (sic) has shown exemplary courage. Will go and meet him tomo in jail. Cartoons cud be in bad taste but is that "sedition"? Can someone be arrested for that?”
Team Anna member Kiran Bedi tweeted, “Cartoons are (sic) an expression of reality. Instead of reacting by use of state power, why not consider these as an opportunity to reflect?”
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