📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Ashish.prajapati90
Crime
Chhattisgarh HC Sets Aside FIR Against Two Over Governor Cartoon
✍️ Live Law
🗓 25 Aug 2026, 12:17 AM
👁 4
The Chhattisgarh High Court has dismissed the FIR filed against two individuals for sharing an online cartoon of the state governor.
The Chhattisgarh High Court has quashed the first information report that had been lodged against two persons for circulating a cartoon of the state governor on social media. The court held that the FIR did not satisfy the legal requirements for proceeding under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.
The cartoon, which was posted online, prompted a police complaint alleging insult to the governor, a constitutional office holder. The two accused were subsequently booked, but the High Court found that the material did not constitute a criminal offence warranting prosecution.
By striking down the FIR, the bench underscored the need to balance respect for constitutional dignitaries with the protection of free expression, especially in the digital sphere. The decision is expected to guide lower courts handling similar cases involving online content.
No further legal action against the two individuals has been ordered, and the matter is now closed unless a fresh complaint is filed on valid grounds.
The cartoon, which was posted online, prompted a police complaint alleging insult to the governor, a constitutional office holder. The two accused were subsequently booked, but the High Court found that the material did not constitute a criminal offence warranting prosecution.
By striking down the FIR, the bench underscored the need to balance respect for constitutional dignitaries with the protection of free expression, especially in the digital sphere. The decision is expected to guide lower courts handling similar cases involving online content.
No further legal action against the two individuals has been ordered, and the matter is now closed unless a fresh complaint is filed on valid grounds.