Cartoonist Hemant Malviya, facing legal action over his caricatures of Bhagwan Shiva, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the RSS, submitted an unconditional apology to the Supreme Court on August 19. He also committed to immediately removing the images from social media.
Senior advocate Vrinda Grover conveyed Malviya’s assurance to a bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria, which was officially noted by the court. The bench then requested additional solicitor-general K.M. Natraj, representing the Madhya Pradesh government, to provide his response on the matter.
On July 15, the court granted anticipatory bail to the cartoonist and suggested it might issue broader guidelines, noting a growing trend of individuals misusing their fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression.
When the matter was heard on Tuesday, senior advocate Vrinda Grover informed the bench that, in compliance with the earlier directive, an apology had been submitted in both Hindi and English translations and requested that it be placed on record.
“I would like to add that the content will be removed from all social media platforms, even though the case specifically relates to a Facebook post,” Grover submitted. “The apology will also be published on my client’s social media account. He has never been summoned for investigation, as there is no evidence or material against him.”
In response to a query from the bench, Additional Solicitor-General K.M. Natraj confirmed he had received a copy of the apology but insisted it should also be made public on social media. “Yes, I’ve seen it. But let him post the apology on all his social media accounts. He should also fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation,” Natraj said. Grover assured the court that the apology would be uploaded later on Tuesday.
In an earlier hearing, the Supreme Court described Malviya’s caricatures as “inflammatory” and emphasised that no citizen has the right to misuse the “freedom of speech and expression” in this way.
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