Mumbai, Sep 11 : Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil on Tuesday said injustice will not be meted out to
Kanpur-based cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, presently under judicial custody on charges of sedition.”The investigation is underway. We will do all that is possible as per the law and try to close this case as soon as possible. We don’t want to do injustice to anybody. The investigation officer will assess all the charges,” said Patil.
“It would not be appropriate for me to comment on this case as the investigation is on,” he added.
According to certain media reports, while the sedition charges against Trivedi will be dropped, he will still face the charges of insulting the national emblem.
Patil had earlier on Monday said there were no grounds for the police to arrest.
“The government is trying to get him released as soon as possible. I am personally looking into the matter. The police will surrender its custody,” he said.
India Against Corruption (IAC) member activist Arvind Kejriwal earlier in the day announced that he would begin a protest starting Saturday if all the charges levelled against the cartoonist were not dropped.
Kejriwal, who met the cartoonist presently in jail, said Trivedi is a patriot and is fighting against corruption for the last one year.
“We met Aseem now. I appreciate the courage of this boy. He can never be a traitor. He fought for Lokpal. Those who steal coal they are true patriots and those who fight against corruption are traitors. The nation will not tolerate the attitude of this government,” said Kejriwal.
“If all charges against Aseem Trivedi are not dropped by Friday and he is not release from jail then we will sit outside here from Saturday,” he added.
Kejriwal had earlier on Monday said it is wrong to send Trivedi to judicial custody.
The chairman of Press Council of India (PCI), Justice Markandey Katju, earlier defended Trivedi, saying the cartoonist has done nothing illegal. Justice Katju said these are occupational hazards, and politicians must learn to put up with them.
Trivedi, who was arrested by the Mumbai Police on Saturday for allegedly posting seditious and obscene content on his website which has now been blocked, has been sent to judicial custody till September 24. He was also charged under the IT Act and the 1971 National Emblem Act.
The cartoonist’s supporters, however, allege that his arrest is politically motivated and that he is being punished for backing Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption campaign. The cartoons by Trivedi reportedly depicted Parliament as a commode and showed the national emblem with wolves instead of lions.
The police claimed that Trivedi had earlier exhibited similar cartoons at a rally organised by India Against Corruption (IAC) at the MMRDA grounds in Mumbai in December 2011.
The cartoonist’s supporters, however, allege that his arrest is politically motivated and that he is being punished for backing Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption campaign.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/injustice-will-not-be-meted-out-to-cartoonist-trivedi-r-r-patil/
