The selected cartoons appeared first in other publications, either in print or online, or on social media, and are credited appropriately.
In today’s featured cartoon, Manjul refers to the Supreme Court hearing petitions challenging India’s colonial-era sedition law and its misuse. On Wednesday, it stayed all proceedings in sedition cases, and directed the Centre and states not to file any fresh cases involving such charges. The law is to be kept in abeyance while the government re-examines it and hearings in the SC will start again in July.
R. Prasad refers to the Supreme Court’s comments in response to petitions filed against hate speech. The court said it intended to ask states why they weren’t “strictly” following the guidelines on hate speech it laid down in earlier judgments on the matter. Alluding to the Union and State lists in the Constitution, Prasad takes a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government and alleged instances of hate speech by Hindutva leaders and groups.
Drawing on the trend of state and local governments launching “anti-encroachment drives” to demolish allegedly illegal constructions, Sajith Kumar comments on the rupee’s fall to an all-time low against the dollar.
Sandeep Adhwaryu compares and contrasts the “right” approaches of political strategist Prashant Kishor — who is now focussing on grassroots work following concepts that have been characterised as Gandhiesque — and the Aam Aadmi Party and its chief, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, who have been seen as making a pitch towards the political Right.