Cartoonist Assem Trivedi, arrested for allegedly posting seditious content on his web portal, has been sent to judicial custody till September 24. Trivedi, who was arrested on Saturday, has taken a moral stand that he will not seek bail unless the govt drops the charge of sedition against him.

Earlier today, the decks were cleared for his bail, when an embarrassed Mumbai police indicated they would not seek his custody. Even the Home Minister R R Patil said his arrest was unnecessary. Trivedi's arrest has come under attack from all quarters.

Who said what:

Aseem Trivedi, Cartoonist: I am against this law. I am proud of what I have done and I will continue to do what I have done. This is the secod struggle for independence in this country. If telling the truth makes me a traitor then I am one. If I am booked under sedition for doing service to the nation then I will continue to do so.

Justice Katju, Chairman of the Press Council of India: The policemen who make such illegal arrests cannot take the plea that they were obeying orders of political superiors. In the Nuremberg trials, the Nazi War Criminals took the plea that orders are orders, and that they were only obeying the orders of their political superior Hitler. But this plea was rejected by the International Tribunal which held that illegal orders should be disobeyed.

Ambika Soni, Minister for Information and Broadcasting: We are not against democratic rights, we are all for free speech...people have made cartoons of Nehru, Indira earlier. But there is a thin line you draw between free speech and what can be termed as offensive especially against national symbols.

Arvind Kejriwal, anti-graft activist and member, India Against Corruption: The way depictions were made in them (cartoons) was very wrong. But this does not make for a case of sedition. Police cannot frame charges of sedition, Aseem has been fighting against corruption for the past one and  a half year, he has put his entire career at stake for the cause of (movement against)corruption how can he be anti-national in fact he is a patriot.

Sriprakash Jaiswal, union Coal Minister and MP from Kanpur: A lot of my workers from Kanpur and Unnao met me and made this demand that there is some Aseem Trivedi who has been arrested by the Maharashtra Police. Now I will try and find out on what charges he has been arrested, what exactly has happened, and only then I would be able to comment. We would ask from the (Maharashtra) police what is the issue, if it is worth lending a helping hand then all help would be extended else I'll inform my social workers about its status.
   
AK Khan, a friend of Aseem Trivedi: He is being repeatedly manhandled since his arrest.
   
Mayank Gandhi, member, India Against Corruption: If anyone is talking against corruption, proclaiming it as anti-national and slamming charges of sedition, one needs to understand that this (drawing cartoons) is against the government and not against the country.
   
Ashok Trivedi, Assem's father: Aseem's grandfather was a freedom fighter and had fought for the country's freedom. Do you expect Aseem to do something that insults the country? He only used his freedom of speech and in turn he has been charged of sedition.

Tweeple back Aseem
Chetan Bhagat ‏@chetan_bhagat
Arresting a young, anti-corruption cartoonist? UPA totally lost the plot? Disastrous political move. Just erased urban youth vote.

shreyas talpade ‏@shreyastalpade1
A cartoonist arrested-R v really living in a democracy??Or is it just a facade for the convenience of dictatorship??

Tanuj Garg ‏@tanuj_garg
In india, u r safer as a terrorist than as a cartoonist. #fact

Rahul Kanwal ‏@rahulkanwal
Being a cartoonist is probably the most dangerous profession in India right now. Terrorists get away, but cartoonists get arrested. Shame!

Ramesh Srivats ‏@rameshsrivats
Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi arrested for sedition for "insulting the national emblem". Yes, yes. Screw the nation. Cherish the symbols.

Tushar A. Gandhi ‏@TusharG
Arresting and charging Aseem Trivedi is a contemptuous action it must be condemned & Government must be ridiculed.

Ashoke Pandit ‏@ashokepandit
If Aseem trivedi is arrested for insulting parliament then those politicians who caught each others collar recently in par.shd be arrested.

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