Sep 12, 2012, 03.55 PM IST

Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi released from jail

Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi was released from Arthur Road Jail on Wednesday afternoon after he accepted the conditional bail offered by the Bombay High Court. Trivedi was granted bail on a personal bond of Rs 5,000.

Source: IBNLive.com

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Refusing to bow down to the pressure, Trivedi as soon as he stepped out of the Mumbai jail said, "Our fight will continue till the time the government continues to curb freedom of expression."

"I would like to thank Arvind Kejriwal and all the people who supported me. I have not committed a crime, how can they charge me for sedition," added Trivedi.

Sedition charges are likely to be dropped against him.

The Kanpur-based artist was initially reluctant to come out of jail unless all charges levelled against him were dropped.

Trivedi was arrested for mocking Parliament and National Emblem and the FIR against him was registered on the basis of a complaint by an individual Amit Katarnayea, who is incidentally a member of the Republican Party of India.

Aseem Trivedi was sent to judicial custody till September 24 by Mumbai's Bandra court on Monday after Maharashtra Police decided to give up his custody.

The 25-year-old was arrested on Saturday under Indian Penal Code Section 124 (sedition), Section 66 A of Information Technology Act and Section 2 of Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act following a complaint by Amit Katarnayea.

Katarnayea filed a complaint against Trivedi alleging that the cartoonist had put up banners mocking the Constitution during Anna Hazare's rally at the Bandra Kurla Complex in 2011. He also alleged that Trivedi had put the obscene content on his website showing Parliament and the National Emblem in poor light.

Under Section 66 A (Punishment for sending offensive messages through communication service, etc) and Section 2 of Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act (Whoever in any public place or in any other place within public view burns, mutilates, defaces, defiles, disfigures, destroys, tramples upon or otherwise shows disrespect to or brings into contempt (whether by words, either spoken or written, or by acts) the Indian National Flag or the Constitution of India or any part thereof) Aseem faces a prison term of three years and/ or can be fined.