Cartoonist sent to police custody, to police custody,

Kanpur freelance political cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, who had surrendered at the Bandra-Kurla Complex police station on Saturday evening in connection with a case of allegedly insulting the national emblem and other symbols, was produced before a holiday court in Bandra on Sunday and remanded in police custody till September 16.

Trivedi has been booked under IPC Section 124 A for sedition, Section 66 A of IT Act and under National Emblem Act, 1971.

C J Bhosle, senior police inspector, said: "We will examine Aseem's cartoons."

The Mumbai Police cyber wing had blocked Trivedi's website www.cartoonsagainstcorruption.com last December, sparking a debate on freedom of expression.

Cyber crime officers, however, said they "did not recall" a specific case as objectionable sites were blocked routinely.

Trivedi (25) is recipient of 'Courage in Editorial Cartooning Award' 2012 of Virginia-based Cartoonists Rights Network International. He shares the award with Syrian cartoonist Ali Ferzat, who is on Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people in the world.

Arrest will prevent him from flying abroad on September 12 to receive the award.

Controversial cartoons parodying national symbols and emblems were displayed by Trivedi during the anti-corruption protests led by Anna Hazare at the MMRDA grounds in BKC in December 2011, leading to private complaints.

In January, a case of sedition was filed against him at the Beed district court. In another case before the Bombay High Court, Trivedi has been charged with insulting Ind'a's national symbols under State Emblem of India (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act 2005, which attracts a two-year prison sentence and a fine up to Rs 5,000.

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