Hussain paintings: Police to file final report by 7 Feb

February 4, 2007

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has asked the city police to file its final investigation report by February 7 in a complaint against noted painter M F Hussain for allegedly portraying indecently Hindu gods and goddesses in his works and hurting religious feelings.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kamini Lau gave the direction after Connaught Place Assistant Commissioner of Police G L Mehta submitted that not only the investigation would be completed but he would personally ensure the filing of the final report before the court by February 7.

Counsel for the complainant, Aslam Kumar had raised serious objections to the delay and the casual manner in which the investigating agency and the Delhi Government were proceeding in the matter.

There was deliberate attempt to delay the investigation on one ground or the other, alleged the counsel.

Before that Director of Prosecution, Y S Yadav submitted that a Screening Committee of the Delhi Government had opined that a case was made out under Sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, language and region), 292 (sale of obscene books, paintings and material) and 295-A (outraging religious feelings) of IPC.

A doctor of Apollo Hospital, Ram Pratap Singh had filed a complaint accusing Hussain of hurting religious feelings by allegedly painting "nude or scantily-clad pictures of Sita, Draupadi and Bharat Mata". The doctor, in his complaint, had said he was shocked to see an advertisement in a weekly magazine on February 6 last year depicting Bharat Mata in a "scantily-clad posture" and again an article in a national daily that was accompanied by depiction of goddess Sita and Draupadi in "highly obscene" way.

The complaint has been filed under Sections 153-A, 292, 294 (obscene acts), 298 (uttering words to wound religious feelings) and 295-A (deliberate and malicious act to outrage religious feelings of any class) of IPC.