Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi walks out of jail

MUMBAI: Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, booked on the charge of sedition, today walked out of Arthur Road Jail, a day after being granted bail by the Bombay High Court.

Hundreds of India Against Corruption activists and scores others were present outside the jail to receive Trivedi when he came out a little past 1 PM.

Speaking briefly to the media, the cartoonist said the fight for scrapping the "draconian" sedition law would continue despite his release.

The Bombay High Court had yesterday granted bail to Trivedi, saying if drawing cartoons was the only allegation against him, then his custody was not required.

A division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice Nitin Jamdar had directed Trivedi to be released on execution of a personal bail bond of Rs 5,000.

The bail order was passed by the bench on a public interest litigation by city-based lawyer Sanskar Marathe, who sought Trivedi's release contending his arrest was "illegal, bad in law, and unjustified".

The court will hear the PIL on September 17 to decide whether it was right to apply sedition charge against him for his cartoons.

Trivedi was arrested on Saturday for allegedly depicting the national emblem and Parliament in bad light in his cartoons, triggering a public outcry.