Chennai: Following the Centre blocking a Tamil weekly’s online site over a cartoon which mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Madras High Court ordered the Centre on Tuesday to lift the ban. The cartoon shows the PM in shackles and wearing a glum expression while US President Donald Trump sits next to him, laughing. The cartoon caricatured the recent deportation of illegal Indian migrants from the US soon after Trump took the President’s chair in January.
However, the court had directed the weekly to remove the cartoon from its site temporarily. After the court ordered the ban to be lifted, Vikatan issued a statement that the cartoon had been removed.
“The caricature on the cover page of Vikatan Plus dated February 10, 2025 (Released on Feb 10, 2025) has been removed in compliance with the order of the Hon’ble Madras High Court dated 06-03-2025 in WP 7944 of 2025, subject to further adjudication. The issue involved for further consideration of the Hon’ble High Court, as recorded in the order dated 06-03-2025, is whether the subject matter caricature is protected under the right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, or would it fall under the permissible grounds of blocking under section 69A of the IT Act,” Vikatan’s statement read.
Following the publication of the cartoon on February 10 on the weekly site of Vikatan, as well as its social media accounts, the BJP Tamil Nadu unit voiced objection.
The cartoon was aired soon after the PM’s visit to Trump after his assent.
The cartoon alluded to Modi’s silence on the inhuman treatment of the Indian nationals who were sent back to India in an army craft and were handcuffed and chained. Defending the cartoon, Vikatan’s counsel said that it did not affect the sovereignty and integrity of the country or the country’s friendly relations with the US, which the Madra HC also upheld.