Press Council chief slams sedition charge against cartoonist
September 10th, 2012 - 4:58 pm ICT by IANS
New Delhi, Sep 10 (IANS) Press Council of India (PCI) chairman Markandey Katju Monday termed the sedition charge against cartoonist Aseem Trivedi as “stupid” and demanded action against politicians and police responsible for arresting the cartoonist.
“The charges are stupid and this is not sedition. This is misuse of the state machinery. Those politicians and policemen who have made this arrest should be arrested and put on trial,” Katju told a news channel.
“This is totally unacceptable what is being done against Aseem Trivedi,” he added.
Katju said that cartoons criticising politicians are published often in a democracy and politicians must learn to be tolerant.
“This is not a dictatorship. You can’t arrest people like this. It is a criminal offence to arrest someone who has not committed a crime under the Indian Penal Code called wrongful arrest and wrongful confinement under section 342 IPC,” said Katju.
A Mumbai court Sunday remanded Trivedi, an Anna Hazare supporter and political cartoonist, to seven days police custody for drawing an allegedly derogatory sketch and uploading it on his web portal.
25-year-old Trivedi is an activist of India Against Corruption (IAC) and was picked up Saturday evening by Mumbai police following a non-bailable arrest warrant issued against him.
He is accused of uploading “ugly and obscene” matter on his web portal and for putting up objectionable banners insulting the Indian constitution during Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption agitation here last December.
IAC too Monday demanded that Trivedi be “unconditionally released” and “the baseless charge of sedition be withdrawn instantly”.
- Police cut short quizzing cartoonist Aseem Trivedi (Lead) - Sep 10, 2012
- Cartoonist sent to judicial custody, government faces flak on issue (Roundup) - Sep 10, 2012
- Cartoonist Trivedi's questioning cut short, sent to judicial custody (Second Lead) - Sep 10, 2012
- Anna's cartoonist supporter sent to police custody - Sep 09, 2012
- Release cartoonist Trivedi or face protest: Kejriwal - Sep 11, 2012
- Cannot target national symbols in cartoons: Government - Sep 10, 2012
- Police end quizzing cartoonist Aseem Trivedi - Sep 10, 2012
- Free cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, demands Kejriwal (Lead) - Sep 10, 2012
- Current times worse than emergency: Advani - Sep 12, 2012
- Aseem Trivedi walks out of jail (Lead) - Sep 12, 2012
- Family stands by jailed cartoonist, coal minister heckled - Sep 10, 2012
- IAC demands cartoonist Aseem Trivedi's release - Sep 10, 2012
- Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi released (Second Lead) - Sep 12, 2012
- Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi gets bail, refuses freedom till charge dropped (Lead) - Sep 11, 2012
- IAC demands cartoonist Trivedi's release - Sep 10, 2012
Tags: agitation, anna hazare, arrest warrant, bailable, criminal offence, dictatorship, indian constitution, indian penal code, mumbai court, obscene matter, police custody, policemen, political cartoonist, press council of india, saturday evening, sedition, state machinery, trivedi, web portal, wrongful arrest