Kolkata prof arrested for sharing Mamata’s cartoon discharged from case after 10 yrs

PTI, Jan 20, 2023, 8:17 PM IST

Ten years after a criminal case was instituted against a university professor for forwarding a cartoon allegedly aimed at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the Alipur Court here on Friday discharged him of the charges.

A case was registered against Prof Ambikesh Mahapatra in April 2012 at Purba Jadavpur police station in Kolkata after he forwarded the cartoon to some people through email, and was arrested. He was later granted bail by a court. The additional sessions judge, 10th court, acquitted Mahapatra of the charges brought against him during the day.

The judge set aside an order of the chief judicial magistrate of the Alipore court of September 14, 2021, which rejected Mahapatra’s prayer for discharge from the case.

Mahapatra had forwarded a cartoon of Banerjee and TMC leader Mukul Roy after the latter became Railway Minister replacing Dinesh Trivedi. The cartoon was based on Satyajit Ray’s 1974 detective movie ‘Sonar Kella’ which had a character named ‘Mukul’.

Mahapatra, a professor of chemistry at Jadavpur University here, was arrested on April 14, 2012.