The Madhya Pradesh High Court refused to grant anticipatory bail to a cartoonist from Indore. The court made this decision because the cartoonist drew a picture that showed a Hindutva group and the Prime Minister in a disrespectful way.

What the Court Said

Justice Subodh Abhyankar noted that the cartoonist, Hemant Malviya, went too far with his freedom of speech. The court felt that Malviya did not use his right to express himself properly. The judge said Malviya should have been more careful before publishing his drawing. The court also thinks that the police need to question Malviya while he is in their custody.

Complaint and Charges Against the Cartoonist

A lawyer named Vinay Joshi, who is also a member of the RSS, filed a case against Malviya. Joshi said that Malviya posted something offensive on Facebook. This post allegedly insulted the organization and hurt religious feelings.

In May, the police in Indore registered a case against Malviya. They charged him under several laws, including:

• Creating hatred between different groups
• Hurting religious feelings on purpose
• Insulting someone intentionally
• Posting or sending inappropriate material online

Arguments in Court

Malviya’s lawyer argued that the cartoonist was falsely accused. They said that Malviya’s drawing was meant to be funny, not offensive.

The lawyer also pointed out that some comments about the drawing on Facebook were not made by Malviya. So, he should not be blamed for them.

Additionally, the defense said that the police did not follow the Supreme Court’s rules about making arrests.

The Government’s Argument

The state government argued that freedom of speech does not give Malviya the right to draw a disrespectful picture of the RSS and the Prime Minister.

The Court’s Final Decision

The court listened to all the arguments. They decided that Malviya was likely to draw and share similar content again. Because of this, the judge refused to grant Malviya anticipatory bail.