Drop sedition charge against Cartoonist

Freedom of expression can not attract charge of sedition against the person who expresses freely and in a non-violent way. The expression which does not incite violence can not attract sedition charge. What fault is of Freelance cartoonist Aseem Trivedi that he has been arrested by Mumbai police on the charge of sedition? He drew a cartoon that parodied national symbols and emblems not with the intention of degrading national honour but to show the instrumentality of the honourable members of Parliament that has resulted in such a worsening state of affairs. He has only expressed the anger of the people with them through his cartoon. All freedom loving people appreciate the creativity. Creativity of the artist is the mirror of society. Artists, writers and cartoonists present the true picture of society through their creativity as well as the nation. Freedom of expression is the fundamental of democracy. Without this, any growth of democracy is impossible. National symbols and Emblems must be respected, but the members of Parliament must also uphold the prestige and honour of the nation. With day in and day out, scandal after scandal is surfacing but no act of sedition has ever been imposed on those high-ups in the government accused of involvement in it. Freedom of expression must not be curtailed and censorship from back door must not be imposed. In democracy, everyone has right to express freely. If the freedom of expression is throttled in this way, an atmosphere of fear will prevail throughout the country. And in the given situation, all voices of dissent may attract charge of sedition. So, the Government of Maharashtra must withdraw the charge of sedition against the cartoonist Aseem Trivedi without any delay. As voices of protest against his arrest has grown, Maharashtra’s Congress-NCP government too seems to be distancing itself from the police action.Trivedi has been arrested in a December 2011 case against him for his cartoons parodying national symbols. The case was registered at the Bandra-Kurla Complex police station following a complaint.Trivedi has been accused of putting up “seditious” banners mocking the constitution during Anna Hazare’s campaign in Mumbai last year and posting the same on his website.He has been arrested under IPC Section 124 (sedition), Section 66 A of Information Technology Act and Section 2 of the Prevention of Insults to Nation Honour Act. Assem Trivedi’s arrest smacks of intolerance. It signals a very dangerous move to curtail the freedom of expression. Drop sedition charge against him and protect the freedom of expression.