'Objectionable' caricatures on PM, RSS: SC grants protection to cartoonist

Hemant Malviya challenged in the apex court a Madhya Pradesh High Court order passed on July 3 refusing to grant him anticipatory bail

Supreme Court
A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Aravind Kumar said if he shared any more offensive posts on social media, the state was free to take action against him under law
Press Trust of India New Delhi
2 min read Last Updated : Jul 15 2025 | 2:13 PM IST

The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted protection to cartoonist accused of sharing alleged objectionable cartoons of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS workers on social media.

A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Aravind Kumar said if he shared any more offensive posts on social media, the state was free to take action against him under law.

The top court was miffed over the alleged abusive online posts and said, "Log kisi ko bhi, kuch bhi keh dete hain (People say anything to anyone)'."

ALSO READ: Freedom of speech being abused over objectionable cartoons on PM, RSS: SC

Hemant Malviya challenged in the apex court a Madhya Pradesh High Court order passed on July 3 refusing to grant him anticipatory bail.

He was booked by Lasudiya police station in Indore in May on a complaint filed by lawyer and RSS worker Vinay Joshi.

Malviya hurt religious sentiments of Hindus and disturbed communal harmony by uploading objectionable material on social media, Joshi alleged.

The FIR mentioned various "objectionable" posts, including allegedly inappropriate comments on Lord Shiva as well as cartoons, videos, photographs and comments regarding Modi, RSS workers and others.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

Topics :Narendra ModiRSSRashtriya Swayamsevak Sanghcartoonistscartoons

First Published: Jul 15 2025 | 2:13 PM IST

Next Story