Statement in Solidarity with Sanitary Panels by the Comics and Creative Community

We, the undersigned members of the comics and creative community, strongly condemn the clearance granted by the Attorney General to initiate contempt proceedings against Rachita Taneja, creator of Sanitary Panels. We believe this is an attack on her right to free speech and expression and, by extension, an attack on us all.

We are compelled as artists to raise questions about the social and political context we live in, which includes the functioning of the Supreme Court – as Rachita has done in her work.  Art, and especially cartooning, has had a relationship with society which is rooted in the possibilities of creative and critical debate. Rachita Taneja’s art practice is situated in a long tradition of cartooning which has kept alive this culture of debate and dialogue on contemporary governance, court cases and anti-people policies through peaceful and creative means. We believe that our government and our judiciary should be capable of accepting criticism and responding to it in a spirit of self-assessment and self-reflection rather than pouncing on it and stifling it. This power of art is crucial in keeping us from slipping into becoming a servile citizenry.

The pattern of criminal contempt proceedings against dissenters like Prashant Bhushan, Kunal Kamra and, now, Rachita Taneja reveals a desire to censor those who are outspoken against the ruling dispensation. This misuse of law undermines the fundamental rights of anyone raising questions. The Supreme Court should be protecting the rights of citizens to do so, instead it is creating an atmosphere of fear in which anything can be deemed contempt of court. Such authoritarian actions are unacceptable to us as artists and members of the creative community of India.

We demand that these proceedings against Sanitary Panels be dropped, and that the Court instead uphold debate, dissent and dialogue which are at the heart of any democracy.