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Professor who shared Mamata’s cartoon discharged after 11 years
A local court in West Bengal has acquitted Ambikesh Mahapatra, a chemistry professor at Jadavpur University in Kolkata, nearly 11 years after he was arrested for forwarding allegedly derogatory cartoon about chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
A local court in West Bengal has acquitted Ambikesh Mahapatra, a chemistry professor at Jadavpur University in Kolkata, nearly 11 years after he was arrested for forwarding allegedly derogatory cartoon about chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
“The discharge petition by the accused petitioner Ambikesh Mahapatra is allowed,” said the order of the additional session judge court on Thursday.
On April 12, 2012, a case was registered against Mahapatra at the East Jadavpur police station after he forwarded an email allegedly containing derogatory cartoons of Trinamool Congress chief Banerjee and party leader Mukul Roy, days after Roy was made the railways minister.
“He stands discharged from case number C1810 of 2016 relating to Purba Jadavpur police station case no 50 dated 12.04.2012. The bail bonds are discharged accordingly,” the court order said.
Mahapatra was charged under Section 66A of the Information Technology Act by the state government and sections of the Indian Penal Code. In 2015, the Supreme Court struck down Section 66A, citing it as unconstitutional.
“It is a big relief and a moral victory after a long battle. But what about those who assaulted me? Will they not be arrested?” Mahapatra told reporters after the court order.
He had earlier alleged that he was beaten up by “goons-backed by the ruling TMC”. Though Mahapatra was released on bail hours after his arrest, the police action triggered a political uproar in the eastern state.
Calling the court order “a victory for democracy”, Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rahul Sinha said: “Mamata Banerjee should apologize publicly. It is a slap on the government and it should take lessons.”
TMC Rajya Sabha member Santanu Sen, hit back, saying: “We have nothing to say against the order or the court because we respect the judiciary. But those who are saying that democracy is being stifled should first check what is happening in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh where the TMC spokesperson was arrested thrice in a month and a journalist was stripped in a police station.”
In 2016, Mahapatra unsuccessfully contested the state assembly elections from Behala Purbo constituency as an independent candidate.
