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Critique and argument are intrinsic to democracy. Questioning facilitates the core principle of democracy, which is to eliminate concentrated power from a particular individual or a body of persons and distribute it equally amongst the public. This is also the reason that the pillar of Judiciary exists in India, or so we were taught.
Popular webcomic ‘Sanitary Panels’ that has made its presence felt in conversations surrounding gender, culture, privilege, and Indian politics through simple yet relatable art is now under scrutiny.
As a reaction to the recent bail of Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami in an abetment to suicide case, creator Rachita Taneja designed a cartoon wherein she portrayed Goswami standing between personified figures of the BJP and the Supreme Court and saying, “Tu jaanta nahi mera baap kaun hai” (You don’t know who my father is).
In response to this, law student Aditya Kashyap sought permission to initiate contempt proceedings against the artist, reports Bar and Bench.
Aditya Kashyap was granted permission to take this forward as contempt of court by Attorney General KK Venugopal, who said, “I am satisfied that each of the tweets with cartoons attached is in contempt of the Supreme Court of India, hence, I grant my consent,” reported The New Indian Express.
The fragility of the Indian establishment begins to surface when a young woman using stick figures to express her views, with no signs of threats or abusive language, is considered to be initiating “audacious assault and insult to the institution.”
Rachita Taneja’s ‘Sanitary Panels’ has been successful in bringing about much-needed conversations in India. So much so, that even the allegation of her committing contempt of court stirs up a dialogue around the sensitivity and blurred vision of the authorities.
Find Sanitary Panels here.
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