New Delhi, Aug 19 (UNI) The Supreme Court today directed cartoonist Hemant Malviya to publish an apology on Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms for posting an undignified caricature of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Appearing before a Bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice N.V. Anjaria, Malviya’s counsel, Advocate Vrinda Grover, said he had already complied with an earlier order by posting an apology and was now willing to delete the caricature entirely and re-publish the apology across all platforms.
Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj, representing the State of Madhya Pradesh, objected to the deletion of the post, arguing that it could affect the ongoing investigation. He submitted that the apology should remain online along with an undertaking not to repeat such conduct.
The Bench agreed and directed Malviya to issue the apology within 10 days. It also extended his interim protection from arrest until the next date of hearing.
Malviya had moved the Supreme Court after the Madhya Pradesh High Court rejected his plea for anticipatory bail in connection with FIRs registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 67A of the Information Technology Act.
The FIR alleged that Malviya’s cartoon depicted a man in RSS uniform with his shorts pulled down while Prime Minister Modi administered an injection. The post also carried remarks involving Lord Shiva, which the High Court termed “derogatory.”
Malviya, in his petition, argued that the caricature was a satirical commentary during the COVID-19 pandemic about public debate on vaccine efficacy, and that a later repost by another user linked it to caste census commentary, which he merely shared without endorsing.
Earlier, during the July 15 hearing, the Supreme Court had expressed displeasure at Malviya’s past cartoons, with Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia remarking that offensive speech online was becoming disturbingly common, even among lawyers.
