New Delhi: An advocate alleging that two paintings by MF Husain on display in DAG (formerly known as Delhi Art Gallery) “depicted Hindu gods and goddesses in an obscene manner” has submitted that the gods were insulted.
Advocate Amita Sachdeva, making submissions before the court of additional sessions judge Sumit Dass through her lawyer on Friday, told the court: “Our gods were insulted. They were shown holding nude women. The complainant is the eyewitness. She herself took photos.”
The court was hearing the plea of the complainant who moved court against a magistrate court order that refused to direct an FIR against DAG in Jan. The magistrate’s court, however, ordered the seizure of the “offensive” paintings. Sachdeva sought the court’s directions to the police to register an FIR against the organisers for the exhibition in the gallery in Dec 2024. The counsel for DAG said that the sketches were there for 30 days during the exhibition and thousands of people saw them.
Advocate Makrand D Adkar submitted that Husain earlier too had made nude goddesses and there were multiple complaints against him. “There was not even an apology. This is not the way to deal with Sanatan Dharma,” he said.
Opposing the submissions, DAG’s counsel submitted before the court that no one, except the complainant, objected and their concerns can’t be seen as the concerns of the whole community. He said that there are misleading facts in the complaint and Husain died with a “clean slate.” “You need to expand your brain a little to understand art,” the counsel for DAG said.
The court asked the complainant’s lawyer if there was any sort of censorship that applied within the confines of an art gallery. Adkar, responding to the court’s query, replied that law imposes a self-censorship. “…any obscene painting can be made and put in my bag. But the moment it leaves my bag, it becomes public. That’s where the problem lies. I am saying just spare my gods (Hindu gods),” he said. “Can we perceive that a person who put the painting up on the wall didn’t know the implications?” he asked.
Adkar said a case of Section 299 (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) under BNS was made out.
