WEBDESK: India’s Supreme Court has refused to grant interim protection to well known cartoonist Hemant Malviya. The decision has raised fresh concerns about the growing assault on free speech and artistic freedom in India.
Malviya was accused of insulting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Hindu nationalist group RSS through a satirical cartoon drawn during the Covid-19 pandemic. The cartoon, widely shared online for the last four years, criticised government policies at a time when the country faced public anxiety and misinformation about vaccines.
Despite this, the Supreme Court rejected the cartoonist pre arrest bail request and even declined to grant him a single day’s protection from arrest. During the hearing, the court remarked that such cartoons and stand-up comedy acts were a “misuse of free speech”. Legal experts say this is a clear sign that India’s top court is unwilling to protect critical and dissenting voices under constitutional rights.
Earlier this month, the Madhya Pradesh High Court also dismissed Malviya’s bail plea, accusing him of behaving irresponsibly and abusing his right to expression.
Free Voices Under Threat in India
Observers and rights groups are calling this a dangerous move against dissent in India. Artists, journalists, and social critics are increasingly facing legal action, harassment, and intimidation. The influence of hardline Hindu groups like the RSS over India’s political and judicial system is growing.
Hemant Malviya’s case is not just about one cartoon. It exposes India’s real face, which hides behind claims of democracy and secularism, while intolerance, fear, and restrictions on free expression rise unchecked.
Cartoonist Punished, Free Speech Dies in Modi’s India
In today’s India, speaking out against the government or highlighting injustice through art or media can land you in jail. Is this the world’s ‘largest democracy’?
Extremist organisations like RSS now have influence not only in politics but also in courts and the media. Minorities, artists, and opposition voices are under attack. Rights defenders warn that the international community’s silence in the face of India’s worsening situation is alarming.
If unchecked, this will not only endanger India’s own people but could also threaten democratic principles worldwide.
Political experts believe India is fast becoming a country where democracy is reduced to a hollow slogan. Minorities, critics, and dissenters have no space for religious or expressive freedom.
They have urged the global community to take notice and hold India accountable. If the world is serious about protecting democratic values, it must speak out against regimes that silence their own people.
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