The cartoonist arrested for caricaturing Tamil Nadu’s chief minister and Tirunelveli’s district collector and police chief has been granted bail, and the case filed by the police and any defamation action by the state or individuals will take their legal course. The cartoon that showed officials naked, with their private parts covered only by currency notes representing corruption, while a victim of usury lay dying in flames, was in poor taste and may have crossed the boundary of decent artistic expression. But the cartoonist’s right to lampoon is an inviolable part of freedom of expression that the State should not breach. While the cartoon can be condemned for its crude obscenity, filing criminal defamation charges is over-reaction by the State, for criticism was justifiable as four lives were lost due to human greed.

Tamil Nadu is no stranger to defamation cases against politicians and journalists. Modelling herself on Singapore’s first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, former chief minister Jayalalithaa used to try and cow down her political opponents with legal action for defamation. It is emblematic of the power of our democracy that nothing really came out of such action except that those targeted were harassed in having to face interminable court procedures. It is known that in the issue of usurious interest rates we are facing a social evil and not quite official apathy although such is human nature that the poorest are always the worst hit and least supported. But to allow considered action as criminal or civil defamation to descend into political persecution as in the case of a cartoon is to make way for authoritarianism to take the place of mature judgment in media matters.