Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi expected to come out of jail on Wednesday
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Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, who was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on Tuesday after being arrested on charges of sedition, is expected to come out of Mumbai's Arthur Road jail at around 3 pm on Wednesday.
The Bombay High Court, which granted bail to Trivedi, said if drawing cartoons was the only allegation against the cartoonist, then his custody was not required.
A division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice Nitin Jamdar directed that Trivedi, who is facing a sedition case, be released on execution of a personal bail-bond of Rs 5,000.
Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil had earlier on Tuesday said injustice would not be meted out to Trivedi.
"The investigation is underway. We will do all that is possible as per the law and try to close this case as soon as possible. We don't want to do injustice to anybody. The investigation officer will assess all the charges," said Patil.
"It would not be appropriate for me to comment on this case as the investigation is on," he added.
India Against Corruption (IAC) member activist Arvind Kejriwal had earlier on Tuesday announced that he would begin a protest starting Saturday if all the charges levelled against the cartoonist were not dropped.
Kejriwal, who met the cartoonist presently in jail, said Trivedi is a patriot and is fighting against corruption for the last one year.
"We met Aseem now. I appreciate the courage of this boy. He can never be a traitor. He fought for Lokpal. Those who steal coal are true patriots and those who fight against corruption are traitors. The nation will not tolerate the attitude of this government," said Kejriwal.
"If all charges against Aseem Trivedi are not dropped by Friday and he is not released from jail then we will sit outside here from Saturday," he added.
Kejriwal had earlier on Monday said it is wrong to send Trivedi to judicial custody.
The chairman of Press Council of India (PCI), Justice Markandey Katju, had also defended Trivedi earlier, saying the cartoonist has done nothing illegal.
Trivedi, who was arrested by the Mumbai Police on Saturday for allegedly posting seditious and obscene content on his website which has now been blocked, was earlier sent to judicial custody till September 24.
He was also charged under the IT Act and the 1971 National Emblem Act.
The cartoonist's supporters, however, allege that his arrest is politically motivated and that he is being punished for backing Anna Hazare's anti-corruption campaign.
The cartoons by Trivedi reportedly depicted Parliament as a commode and showed the national emblem with wolves instead of lions.
The police claimed that Trivedi had earlier exhibited similar cartoons at a rally organised by India Against Corruption (IAC) at the MMRDA grounds in Mumbai in December 2011.
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