Ruling on FIR Against MF Husain’s Paintings for 'Hurting Religious Sentiments

Photo: AFP

A Delhi court is expected to decide today whether or not to file an FIR against late artist M.F. Husain’s paintings. The plea claims that two of his paintings, which feature Hindu deities, Hanuman and Ganesh, hurt religious sentiments.

On January 20, Judicial Magistrate First Class Sahil Monga ordered the seizure of the paintings displayed at an art gallery in Delhi. The court also reserved its decision on whether an FIR should be filed, after listening to arguments from both sides.

During the hearing, advocate Amita Sachdeva, who filed the complaint, argued that the paintings insulted the most revered deities of Hinduism—Hanuman and Ganesh. She called the paintings obscene, saying that they depicted these deities disrespectfully and offensively. Sachdeva stated, “This is obscenity. These deities were shown in an obscene manner, which is a deliberate insult. Husain may be one of the greatest artists in the world, but he has no right to insult my deities.”

She also claimed that an advertisement of the paintings had been shown to the public, and thousands of people had seen the images, which she believed ridiculed the deities. According to her, this created a prima facie case for hurting religious sentiments by displaying such offensive paintings to the public.

After hearing these arguments, Magistrate Monga cited a report from the police, which said that the investigating officer had seized security camera footage and video recordings from the art gallery. The report mentioned that the exhibition where the paintings were shown was a private event and that the paintings were only displayed to showcase Husain’s original work.

However, based on the facts presented, Magistrate Monga allowed the complainant’s request and directed the investigating officer to seize the paintings in question.
M.F. Husain, who passed away in 2011, was a well-known Indian painter and a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award.

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