The Madras High Court has issued a directive to Ananda Vikatan Productions Private Limited to take down a caricature that portrayed Prime Minister Narendra Modi in chains during a meeting with United States President Donald Trump. This order was part of an interim decision given by Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy, who also stated that once compliance is confirmed, the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will unblock the Ananda Vikatan website.
The legal action began after the I&B Ministry’s order dated February 25, 2025, which blocked public access to the website citing concerns over the caricature. Ananda Vikatan challenged this blockage, arguing it infringed upon their freedom of expression and did not align with the stipulations under Section 69 A of the Information Technology Act, which governs the reasons for which the Centre can restrict public access to information.
Senior counsel Vijay Narayan, representing Ananda Vikatan, argued that the depiction of the political leaders did not threaten the integrity or sovereignty of India and was a form of protected expression under the freedom of the press. On the other hand, Additional Solicitor General A R L Sunderesan represented the government’s stance, indicating that the caricature had been deemed offensive under Section 69 A of the IT Act. He mentioned that a government-appointed committee had suggested that the website could be made accessible again if the magazine voluntarily removed the offending image.
Justice Chakravarthy acknowledged the complexities of determining whether the caricature constituted legitimate press freedom or amounted to mischief but decided that until a final ruling, the magazine must comply by removing the caricature and notifying the central government.
