NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday disposed of the anticipatory bail plea of cartoonist Hemant Malviya, who was booked by Madhya Pradesh Police for allegedly sharing "indecent" social media posts about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionaries.
A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria confirmed and made absolute its earlier interim order directing that no coercive action be taken against the Indore-based cartoonist, subject to his cooperation in the ongoing investigation.
The development came after Malviya publicly apologised for sharing a controversial caricature showing an RSS figure with khaki shorts pulled down and the Prime Minister administering an injection to the exposed figure.
Malviya's illustration, originally published on April 1, was accompanied by a provocative caption referencing "derogatory lines involving Lord Shiva" and the "caste census".
In the first hearing held on July 14, the Supreme Court had termed the conduct of the cartoonist “inflammatory” and “immature". It had asked advocate Vrinda Grover, who appeared on Malviya’s behalf, to take instructions if he was willing to delete his post.
In response, Grover submitted that Malviya was willing to take down the controversial post and to make a statement that he was not endorsing the objectionable comments.
In its July 15 order, a Bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Aravind Kumar granted an interim protection directing that no coercive measure be taken against Malviya, subject to his cooperation in the ongoing investigation.
In an affidavit filed before the top court, Malviya expressed his regret for the controversial post, tendered a whole-hearted apology, and undertook not to indulge in posting or re-posting on any social media account. In his public apology, Malviya expressed deep remorse over his Facebook post, stating that he "deeply regret[s] my Facebook post published on April 1, 2025" and that he had "absolutely no intention to hurt the sentiments of any community, caste, or religion, nor to incite tension or deliberately insult any individual or organisation".