CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has ordered the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) to temporarily unblock the Ananda Vikatan website, which was blocked after a controversial cartoon featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the US President Donald Trump recently.
Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy passed the interim orders when the petitions filed by Ananda Vikatan Productions Private Limited, Ananda Vikatan Publishers Private Limited and its authorised person T Murugan.
The petitions prayed for quashing the February 25, 2025, order of the I&B Ministry for blocking the website from public access and restore immediately the access to the website.
The direction was issued with a rider to the petitioners to remove the controversial cartoon, which was published on February 13 with the Prime Minister sitting in handcuffs alongside US President Donald Trump in its digital edition, criticising the inhuman deportation of Indian immigrants from the US in handcuffs.
“Until a detailed counter-affidavit is filed, the website can be unblocked, and the petitioners shall remove the cartoon,” the judge said.
He directed Additional Solicitor General (ASG) ARL Sundaresan, who represented the Centre, to file a detailed counter-affidavit to the petitions of the magazine and adjourned the hearing.
‘Cartoon affected sovereignty of country, its global relations’
The blocking of the website impinges on the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution. He said that while it is ‘common’ for journals to publish cartoons of political leaders, taking harsh action of blocking the website is ‘uncommon’.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) A R L Sundaresan, representing the centre, argued the cartoon not only affected the sovereignty of the country but also its international relations. He claimed the website was designed in such a way that the cartoon page alone could not be blocked, hence the entire website had to be blocked.
The petitioner has to remove the cartoon, as per Article 19 (2) of the Constitution and Section 69 A of the Information Technology Act, which provides for reasonable restrictions on content, he told the court.