Arrested cartoonist Aseem Trivedi granted bail, expected to come out of jail today

Mumbai: Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, who was arrested over the weekend, has been granted bail by the Bombay High Court. He is currently at the Arthur Road jail in Mumbai and is expected to come out at around 3 pm today. Mr Trivedi had said that he would not apply for bail till sedition charges against him are dropped. His bail was granted with a personal bond of Rs. 5000 on the basis of an independent petition by a lawyer, who also asked the court to remove the accusations of sedition - the court said it will decide that on September 17.

"My son has not committed any crime , so let's not talk of accepting bail with a personal bond and conditions, all charges should be withdrawn against him and he should be released," Ashok Trivedi, the cartoonist's father, said yesterday.

The arrest of the 25-year-old cartoonist has provoked criticism at home and attention abroad with suggestions that it illustrates the government's increasing intolerance of dissent. "We are taking legal opinion. We will decide on the charges against Aseem Trivedi soon. We will ensure he is not charged wrongly," state Home Minister R R Patil had said.


Arvind Kejriwal and other anti-graft activists had threatened to start a protest outside the Arthur Road jail on Saturday if the accusations of sedition are not removed. Mr Kejriwal visited Mr Trivedi on Tuesday morning and said," MPs who disrespect the national emblem... official papers have national emblems printed on them ... they commit corruption and should be booked for sedition."

Mr Trivedi's supporters allege that he is being targeted by the government for supporting the anti-corruption movement championed by 74-year-old Anna Hazare and Mr Kejriwal.

The long-haired and bearded cartoonist has gone from little known to trending in a matter of days. His arrest is based on the complaint of a Mumbai lawyer who took umbrage at Mr Trivedi's anti-corruption cartoons, especially one that re-interpreted the Ashok Chakra national emblem - wolves replaced the three lions to show ravenous corruption. He has said, "If telling the truth makes me a traitor then I am one."

The Mumbai Police tried to reverse out of the controversy on Monday, telling a local court that they were done with questioning him and were surrendering custody. Mr Trivedi has been charged with allegedly uploading "ugly and obscene" matter on his web portal and putting up objectionable banners insulting the Indian Constitution during an Anna Hazare protest in Mumbai last year.

The government, on the back foot, has said people cannot be allowed to "cross the line." Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni said, "We are not against democratic rights, we are all for free speech... people have made cartoons of Nehru, Indira earlier. But there is a thin line you draw between free speech and what can be termed as offensive especially against national symbols." 

HC notice to media on Mamata remarks

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s “judgment for sale” comment has stirred a hornet’s nest. Within 48 hours, petitions for a contempt case reached both the Calcutta high court and the Supreme Court.

The high court issued notices to editors of two newspapers and two Bengali television news channels, asking them to file affidavits on the authenticity of their reports on her speech. On September 13, depending on the evidence provided by the media, the judges would decide if contempt proceedings will be initiated against the chief minister.

If Banerjee claims the media had misinterpreted her, the court may dismiss the case, said lawyer and Congress leader Arunabha Ghosh. If the court decides otherwise, she may be detained for a few minutes or even a few months.

In Delhi, meanwhile, J&K Panthers' Party leader and senior advocate Bhim Singh filed a petition seeking contempt proceedings against Banerjee in the Supreme Court. Her comments can “undermine” the people’s confidence in judiciary as “it tends to lower the integrity, reputation and authority” of the judicial system, he contended.

Air hostess suicide: Will Gopal Kanda surrender in court today?

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court will today hear the bail plea of former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda, wanted in connection with the suicide of former flight attendant Geetika Sharma. But the big question is: Will Mr Kanda surrender today?

On August 9, Mr Kanda's anticipatory bail plea was dismissed by a sessions court that said allegations against him were grave and serious in nature and that his application was without merit.

Mr Kanda's lawyers, while arguing for his anticipatory bail, had described Geetika as a "hypersensitive girl" who felt "jilted" by Mr Kanda. The former minister has been on the run for the past six days.

Mr Kanda, who owned the now defunct MDLR Airlines where the 23-year-old Geetika was earlier employed, was booked for abetment to her suicide and criminal intimidation. Geetika hanged herself in her north Delhi's Ashok Vihar house August 5 and left behind a suicide note, blaming Mr Kanda and a senior executive who works for him, Aruna Chadha, for her extreme step. Ms Chadha has been arrested.

Police sources, meanwhile, have told NDTV that Geetika Sharma's appointment letter from the MDLR Airlines had an unusual clause that she has to report to Mr Kanda after work hours.

Ms Sharma first joined MDLR, an airline owned by Mr Kanda, in 2006, when she was just 17. She tried to quit that same year, but her salary was hiked. In 2009, MDLR stopped flying and Ms Sharma moved to the UAE to work for Emirates Airways in August 2010. Just seven months later, she was back in Delhi, working for another company owned by Mr Kanda.

The police has Ms Sharma's laptop - it hopes to prove that stored there are emails sent by Mr Kanda, warning her to return to work for him. But sources say that computers at MDLR offices have been scrubbed of data that could have been incriminating for Mr Kanda.

Before he went underground, the politician told NDTV that the fact that she began a second job with him proves that she was not uncomfortable in any way around him. He denied harassing her in any way. Her family says that Mr Kanda made life so tough for Ms Sharma when she moved away, that she had no choice but to return to his turf.

From NDTV