New Delhi:  Hemant Malviya, a cartoonist from Indore, faced an FIR due to a controversial cartoon depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the RSS. On Monday, he consented to remove the Facebook posts after the Supreme Court criticized him, labeling his actions as inflammatory and immature.

While addressing his plea against the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s denial of anticipatory bail, a bench comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Aravind Kumar expressed their disapproval of the cartoonist’s behavior.

The bench inquired of his attorney, Vrinda Grover, whether the petitioner was prepared to delete his post.

In agreement with the suggestion, she also requested interim protection in the case, arguing that it pertained to personal liberty and that the police were approaching him.

“I will declare that I do not support the objectionable comments,” Grover stated.

However, she argued that while his comments may be distasteful or inappropriate, they do not constitute an offense.

She noted that the accused is a 50-year-old man who should receive interim relief, to which the bench responded, “Still no maturity. We concur that it is inflammatory.” The bench has scheduled the matter for further consideration on Tuesday.

Cartoonists reflect the realities of power, which the BJP finds troubling.
The petitioner contested the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s ruling from July 3, which denied him anticipatory bail.

The petitioner allegedly created caricatures of PM Modi and the RSS, which the High Court deemed as “undignified,” “deliberate,” and “malicious” on his Facebook page.

RSS activist Vinay Joshi lodged the complaint regarding this case.

In its ruling, the High Court stated that Malviya’s actions in portraying the RSS and the Prime Minister, along with his endorsement of a derogatory comment that unnecessarily invoked the name of the Hindu deity Shiva in relation to the cartoon, represented a blatant misuse of the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.