Cartoons Against Corruption Favorite 

Practitioner: 

Date: 

Dec 10 2011

Location: 

The Internet

Cartoons Against Corruption is a cartoon based campaign by political cartoonist Aseem Trivedi to support anti corruption movement in India, best known for sharp hard hitting anti corruption cartoons. Using national emblems and current political news, Trivedi creates cartoons that don't attempt to skirt the issues at hand, but portrays his political stance straightforwardly. One of the cartoons also depicts the national Ashoka emblem as three wolves dripping blood from their jaws, with the title, "wolves with the signs of danger", while another shows Mumbai blasts convict Ajmal Kasab urinating on the Indian constitution.

In an interview with Wall Street Journal’s India Real Time, Trivedi declared that his intention was to “depict the ailing truth of the nation and send across a strong message to the masses.” Trivedi continued: “By suppressing art, you cannot suppress corruption. The aam admi [common man] succumbs at the realms of corruption every second – from struggling to achieve justice for a raped daughter to obtaining old age pension from corrupt government officers".

The Mumbai Crime Branch banned the website of Cartoons Against Corruption during the hunger strike of Anna Hazare in December 2011. Trivedi was arrested on charges of displaying "ugly and obscene content". Trivedi had charges framed against him under the IT Act, as well as the 1971 National Emblem act. According to the act, the national emblem cannot be used for “any trade, business, calling or profession or in the title of any patent, or in any trade mark or design” unless authorized by the government. Under the same act, the penalty for violations is up to two years imprisonment or a 5,000 rupee fine (about 100$) or both. These anti corruption cartoons also provoked an MP, Ram Kripal Yadav, to initiate a discussion in the Rajya Sabha, labeling the cartoons as an “insult to the Indian Parliament". News of Trivedi's arrest sparked protests among anti-corruption and free expression activists, arguing that India's government is increasingly intolerant of criticism.

Trivedi has, since the ban on his website, initiated a blog where he continues to express his opinion through “hard hitting cartoons,” as he described them.

“To quit now would be to end the common man’s anger over corruption. I will not give up,” he said.

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