The cartoon in question showed an illustration of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former U.S. President Donald Trump. The Central government claimed that the cartoon could harm India’s “sovereignty and integrity” and affect “friendly relations with foreign states,” particularly the United States of America.
Madras: The Madras High Court has given an important decision regarding the Tamil weekly magazine Ananda Vikatan. On Thursday(6th March), the Court directed the Central government to unblock the magazine’s website (http://www.vikatan.com), provided a particular cartoon that was considered objectionable by the government is removed from the site.
Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy passed this order while hearing a petition filed by Ananda Vikatan, which requested the Court to restore its website. The website was blocked by the Central government in the second week of February.
The magazine argued that its website was blocked without giving it a fair chance to present its side. On the other hand, the Central government stated that the action was taken because of a satirical cartoon published on the website.
Why Was the Website Blocked?
The cartoon in question showed an illustration of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former U.S. President Donald Trump. The Central government claimed that the cartoon could harm India’s “sovereignty and integrity” and affect “friendly relations with foreign states,” particularly the United States of America.
After hearing both sides, the Court decided to grant temporary relief to Ananda Vikatan. It allowed the magazine’s website to be restored, but only if the cartoon was removed.
Justice Chakravarthy reasoned that if the cartoon was the only objectionable content, then the rest of the website should not be blocked.
To implement this order, the Court directed Ananda Vikatan to email the Central government confirming that the cartoon had been removed.
Justice Chakravarthy further stated that
“the block of the website thereafter shall be lifted without waiting for a certified copy of the Court’s order.”
Senior Advocate Vijay Narayan and Advocate Rahul Unnikrishnan represented Ananda Vikatan. They were assisted by Advocates Apar Gupta, Gayatri T, and Jannani M.
The magazine argued that it had already tried to explain to the government that the cartoon was simply a form of political satire, connected to the mistreatment of Indian deportees from the United States.
The publication stated that “political satire is a long-standing form of fair comment on socio-political realities and it plays a fundamental role in democracies.”
Even if the cartoon was considered offensive, Ananda Vikatan said that “blocking the entire website was unjustified, disproportionate and excessive.” The magazine further argued that such actions result in “the suppression of critical journalism.”
The government’s lawyer maintained that the cartoon needed to be blocked under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act (IT Act). He argued that the illustration harmed “India’s sovereignty and integrity and its friendly relations with a foreign government.”
He also claimed that this was a “reasonable restriction on fundamental rights.”
The Central government requested two weeks to file a detailed response. The Court allowed this request, stating that it needed to examine whether the cartoon falls under “artistic and journalistic freedom” or if it violates Section 69A of the IT Act.
The Court has scheduled the next hearing for March 21, when it will further examine the matter and decide whether the website should remain accessible without restrictions.
Case Title: Ananda Vikatan Productions Private Ltd and Others v. Union of India| WP 7944 of 2025
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