Enraged at sedition charge, cartoonist Aseem Trivedi refuses to apply for bail

Freelance cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, arrested on sedition and other charges, was today sent to jail after a local court remanded him to two-week judicial custody.

The 25-year-old cartoonist was arrested on Saturday under IPC Section 124 (sedition), section 66 A of Information Technology Act and section 2 of Prevention of Insults to Nation Honour Act. He was remanded in police custody till September 16 yesterday.

Producing Trivedi before a Bandra Court, police said their investigations in the case were over and his custodial interrogation was not needed.

The Kanpur-based artist has been accused of putting up banners mocking the Constitution during a rally of anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare here late last year and posting the same on his website.

Police informed the court the posters drawn by Trivedi had been put up at the rally but it was very hard to recover them at this stage as they were thrown by the cartoonist at the rally venue in Bandra Kural Complex.

Police further said Trivedi was using a mobile phone registered on his father's name. They said in so far as posting of Trivedi's cartoons on a social networking site was concerned, the Cyber Cell of the department was carrying out investigations.

After going through the remand application, the Court observed that investigations were complete and remanded Trivedi to judicial custody till September 24.

Trivedi was arrested on the basis of a complaint filed by a member of Republican Party of India, Amit Katarnayea.

Clad in black kurta and jeans, Trivedi was brought to the court in the afternoon. The Magistrate asked him whether he had any complaint against police, to which he replied in the negative. After the proceedings, Trivedi, sporting a beard, was whisked away by the police. He did not seek bail.

Outside the Court, around 200 volunteers of India Against Corruption (which organised Hazare's rally last year) had gathered to support Trivedi. One of them distributed copies of a statement purported to be written by Trivedi in jail.

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