Free expression

Richard Gere has approached the Supreme Court seeking a stay on an arrest warrant issued against him by a Jaipur court in a complaint over his and actress Shilpa Shetty's cheek-kiss during a charity show last year. Says the Times of India: [ Link] Gere also sought a stay on the order of a Mundawar court in Rajasthan which directed him not to leave the country in a similar case. The matter was mentioned by Gere's counsel before a bench headed by the Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan for an early...

Husain saab has earned some temporary reprieve—on one count, at least. The Delhi High Court has stayed the criminal proceedings against MF Hussain, summoned by a Delhi magistrate, on a complaint related to his alleged indecent depiction of Bharat Mata and Hindu Gods. The Daily News & analysis has some details: [ Link] Setting aside ACMM A K Kuhar's order seeking the 92-year-old Hussain's personal appearance in the case, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul issued notice to the Haridwar-based complainant...

The NDTV office in Ahmedabad has been ransacked by Hindu rightwingers for running a poll on whether MF Husain should be awarded the Bahart Ratna. Activists of the virtually unknown Hindu Samrajya Sena group on January 19 barged into NDTV's office, broke furniture, destroyed studio equipment and even smashed the air-conditioners and other electrical fittings. The channel's website reported: [ Link] One of the staff member, who was in the office at the time, was attacked and beaten up with hockey...

The Baroda art controversy is back in the news — but for a different reason this time. The committee set up by the Gujarat Governor to probe the controversy over the display of the “obscene” painting at MS University in Vadodara has recommended that the student who sketched the work be readmitted, and it accused university officials of dereliction of duty. And not only that. The committee wants the suspension of Shivaji Panikkar, Dean, Faculty of Fine Arts at the university, be revoked and...

Assam's moral police found a novel way of saying Happy New Year—Asom Sena activists decided to turn party pooper by keeping a "watch" on parties. [ Link] Asom Sena Chief Organiser, Lakshman Das, had this to say to CNN-IBN: "We want to ensure that no damage is caused to our culture and tradition. In the New Year celebrations this year we will make sure that parties are held without any violation of decency and that revelry stays within the moral norms."

The Supreme Court has upheld the Guruvayoor temple’s decision to allow entry of women wearing churidar, the Hindu has reported. A bench comprising Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan and Justices RV Raveendran and JM Panchal Monday dismissed a special leave petition challenging the August 23 Kerala High Court order, which upheld the temple’s decision. [ Link] Manoj V. George, counsel for a devotee K. Mohandas, argued that the change in the 5,000-year-old practice of allowing only women wearing the...

These days MF Husain doesn't have to be around for Hindu rightwingers to be muscling havoc. An exhibition of his almost ran into rough weather in the national capital on December 22 after organisers received a threat from the Bajrang Dal. The India International Centre, where Hussain's 'India in the Era of Mughals' painting series was on display, suspended the exhibition for a day. IIC, the Times of India says, received the threats from Dal activists who threatened it with "serious consequences"...

If you think chastity and virginity are things of the past, keep such notions to yourself. Or, do whatever you want. Just don't say it aloud, or you will land in a spot. At least, that's what Sushmita Sen has learnt. Her comment, "No Indian has chastity or virginity any more" has upset the culture cops of Tamil Nadu, and the Madurai branch of the Madras High Court has issued a notice against her. A notice has also been issued to the Tamil newspaper Dina Thanthi which issued the transcripts of...

Painter Jatin Das had a couple of unexpected visitors to his exhibition Body & Line at the Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai. These visitors were two policemen who "assessed" the 101 figurative art works, several of them nudes. They had something to say too. No, they did not quite appreciate art. They wanted Das to put up a notice barring those under 18 from entering, to avoid trouble. Joint police commissioner KL Prasad said it was just a suggestion, says Hindustan Times. The painter, actress...

Now, an Islamic militant outfit in Manipur has asked Muslim girl students to refrain from wearing frock and skirt or any western dress in educational institutions in the state from next year. The 'information and publicity' secretary of the People's United Liberation Front (PULF), Belal Khan wants that all Muslim girl students should wear the dress accepted by Islamic law. Huh. The statement issued by the militant said that anyone violating the diktat of the outfit would be punished. [ Link]...