New Delhi: Defiant cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, who was arrested on sedition and two other charges for mocking Parliament and the National Emblem, on Monday refused to apply for bail even as the police said that they did not want his custody any more.
The cartoonist said that he would not apply for a bail till the charge of sedition against him was dropped, calling his action a party of the "second struggle for independence".
"I am against this law. I am proud of what I have done and I will continue to do what I have done. This is the second struggle for independence in this country," Aseem said before he appeared before the court.
Following his defiant stand, the court remanded him to two-week judicial custody till September 24.
The government also did a flip flop over his arrest as Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil, who has been facing criticism of excessive police action, conceded that there was no need to seek the cartoonist’s custody.
"The police investigation was complete. There was no need to seek police custody. I am looking into the matter. We will say so in court," Patil said.
Meanwhile, the arrest of the cartoonist sparked outrage across the country with people criticising the government and the police over the move.
One of the most vocal opponent of the move by the police was Press Council of India chairman Justice Markandey Katju, who said that Aseem was not a criminal and was wrongly confined.
Speaking to IBN18 Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai, Justice Katju hit out at the police for acting against the cartoonist, saying the policemen who arrested Aseem must be arrested while he must be freed.
Terming the move as a violation of the Freedom of Speech and Expression, Justice Katju attacked the political class saying, "The Netas are becoming Nazis. They must quit if they can't take criticism."
The PCI chief also took the opportunity to hit out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had recently acted against a professor over a cartoon, saying the Trinamool Congress chief "acted as a tyrant".
Assem's friends and India Against Corruption (IAC) activists demanded that the charge under Indian Penal Code Section 124(A) (sedition) against him should be dropped.
"Aseem has given in writing that till the time the government doesn't remove the sedition law he will remain in jail and continue his Gandhigiri. Aseem has said that he has shown what everybody is seeing around on a day to day basis. 'I (Aseem) am not asking for bail, as I have not done anything wrong'," IAC activist Alok Dixit said.
IAC also demanded Aseem's release. "IAC demands that Aseem Trivedi be unconditionally released and all charges against him, including the baseless charge of sedition be withdrawn instantly," an IAC statement said.
"IAC firmly stands for freedom of expression and expresses its anguish against a growing culture of intolerance for creative expression in the public domain," IAC said in the statement.
Aseem's parents, Pratibha and Ashok Trivedi, claim he's being targetted for being an India Against Corruption activist. "Why should the government arrest our son, a cartoonist when there are so many corrupt leaders roaming around freely? His cartoon was only helping draw attention to corruption," said Aseem's father Ashok Trivedi.
"Our son has done nothing wrong. I am proud of my son. Corrupt leaders must be behind bars, not my son. His act cannot be called unpatriotic," his mother Pratibha Trivedi said.
Cartoonist Mangesh Tendulkar said, "When there's such a kind of curb on any cartoon, the authority should think twice, because even though it is a little aggressive, this is the most essential thing in democracy."
Kanpur based cartoonist Aseem Trivedi was arrested for allegedly posting seditious content on his website. He was arrested on Saturday on the basis of a complaint filed in December and produced before a court in Bandra which remanded him to police custody till September 16.
Police had sought his custody to question him on the contents on his website and other charges. The court had issued a non-bailable warrant against him last month. A member of Repubican Party of India, Amit Katarnayea, had filed a complaint against Trivedi that the latter had put up banners mocking the Indian constitution during the Anna Hazare rally held last year at the Bandra Kurla Complex. It was also alleged that he had put the obscene content on his website.
Outside the court, a defiant Trivedi said, "If telling the truth makes me traitor then I am one. Even Mahatma Gandhi was called traitor and if I am booked under sedition for doing service to the nation then I will continue to do so."
While police officers said that he had shown disrespect to the National flag and he was arrested under 124A of the Indian Penal Code for sedition besides various sections of the Information Technology Act.
Trivedi was due to fly to Syria on Wednesday to receive a cartooning award.
"If anyone is talking against corruption, proclaiming it as anti-national and slamming charges of sedition, one needs to understand that this is against the government and not against the country," said Mayank Gandhi, a member of IAC.
He said further said that Trivedi was not a member of the IAC "but is fighting corruption and we are here to give him moral support".
Big Questions:
- Is it probable that as the Maharashtra Home Minister, RR Patil didn't know about police's action?
- Is RR Patil passing the blame on police after drawing flak?
- Is the sedition law being blatantly misused by the government?
- Is it time the British-era sedition law be changed?
- Has sedition law been repeatedly misused by governments across party lines?
(With additional information from PTI)
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