Court orders seizure of 'offensive' MF Husain paintings on deities
What's the story
A Delhi court has ordered the seizure of two paintings of late artist MF Husain from the Delhi Art Gallery after a complaint was filed by advocate Amita Sachdeva, calling the artwork offensive.
The order was passed by Judicial Magistrate First Class Sahil Monga on Sachdeva's application under Section 94 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.
The paintings allegedly feature Hindu deities Hanuman and Ganesh.
Legal proceedings
Sachdeva's allegations and court's response
In a tweet, Sachdeva alleged that the paintings were nude depictions of Hindu deities.
She claimed that during a visit with the investigating officer last month, the artworks were removed and falsely stated to have never been displayed.
The advocate also requested preservation of CCTV footage from December 4 to December 10, 2024, to determine who removed these controversial pieces.
Evidence preservation
Court directs preservation of CCTV footage
"It's unclear if the police have preserved the CCTV footage from 4th to 10th December, as requested in my application, to determine who removed the paintings and why," she said.
During the hearing on Wednesday, Sachdeva said the most revered entities of Sanatan Dharma—Hanuman and Ganesh —were insulted.
"This is obscenity. Depicted most revered deities in obscene manner a deliberate and malicious insult. Husain may be the greatest artist....but he has no right to insult my deities," she argued.
Art seizure
Exhibition details and court's final directive
On December 18, 2024, the court ordered the preservation of CCTV footage from December 12 between 12:00pm and 01:00pm.
By January 20, the investigating officer had already seized the CCTV footage of Delhi Art Gallery.
The action taken report said Delhi Art Gallery provided a list of paintings, identifying the artworks at Serial No.6 and 10.
The report also stated that the exhibition was organized in a private space and was intended to showcase original works of authors or artists.