Anti-corruption cartoonist Aseem Trivedi has been arrested on charges of sedition on Sunday for allegedly displaying "ugly and obscene" content on his web portal.
The cartoonist was produced in Bandra court, Mumbai, in the afternoon after which he was sent to police custody, where he will remain till Sept 16, IBN Live reported.
On Saturday, Trivedi surrendered at the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) police station, where several complaints were filed against him for insulting the national emblem in his cartoons that he had posted at the Jan Lokpal agitation in Mumbai last year.
He also exhibited the anti-corruption cartoons on his website, www.cartoonsagainstcorruption. However, web company Big Rock suspended the site's registration after a notice from the Mumbai police.
The Kanpur-based cartoonist was arrested on charges of sedition under Section 124 A of the Indian Penal Code, violation of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008 and the Prevention of Insults of National Honour Act, 1971.
Police have urged the National Broadcasters Association (NBA) to limit the display of his cartoons.
Talking to Rediff.com on the phone, Trivedi said that "the cartoons intended to display the insult to the nation that is being done by politicians, and do not seek to insult national symbols in any way."
The cartoons which are published at www.cartoonsagainstcorruption.blogspot.in have featured offensive illustration of politicians such as Digvijaya Singh and the Prime Minister.
One illustration shows "Mother India" in a tri-colour sari with politicians and bureaucrats about to attack her, while another cartoon illustrated the Constitution of India as a toilet.
