Chastened by the outrage caused by the arrest of cartoonist Aseem Trivedi for "sedition", the Maharashtra government has now ordered an inquiry into how he came to be booked for the serious offense. State Home Department sources on Saturday said that the concerned police officers and law officers would face inquiry.

Sources said the inquiry was ordered after chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar objected to the invocation of the section dealing with sedition in the Indian Penal Code against Trivedi.

However, the sources said, both favoured (lesser) action against Trivedi as the cartoons were offensive and portrayed the Parliament and the national emblem in poor light.

Trivedi was arrested last Sunday and was released on Wednesday after the Bombay high court granted him bail.