The famous cartoonist Hemant Malviya appeared before the Supreme Court of India today expressing his readiness to apologise across his social media channels like Facebook and Instagram for creating an “undignified” caricature depicting the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Represented by Advocate Vrinda Grover, Malviya informed a bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria that he had already submitted an apology in compliance with a prior court order. He went further, stating that he would delete the offending cartoon from all online platforms (even though the case stemmed from a Facebook post) and publish the apology on his own social media accounts.
Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj on behalf of the State of Madhya Pradesh, objected to deleting the post during the investigation, asserting that it served as an important piece of evidence.
However, the Court balanced these concerns by ordering Malviya to publish his apology within 10 days, while also extending interim protection from arrest until the next hearing.
Malviya’s plea hinges on challenging the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s earlier refusal to grant anticipatory bail. The underlying FIR alleges that his cartoon portrayed a man in RSS khaki shorts with Modi administering an injection imagery deemed “derogatory,” further aggravated by accompanying remarks referencing Lord Shiva, which the High Court found offensive.
During a previous Supreme Court hearing on July 15, the Court condemned some of Malviya’s work as inflammatory and immature, suggesting it crossed the limits of acceptable satire. The bench expressed concern over the misuse of online platforms to circulate offensive content.
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