Jadavpur Univ Prof Arrested for Sharing Mamata Banerjee Cartoon Acquitted by Court after 11 Years  

Kolkata: After a long legal battle, Professor Ambikesh Mahapatra of Jadavpur University was acquitted on Friday in the case lodged against him 11 years back for sharing cartoons of TMC leaders.

In 2012, Prof. Mahapatra was arrested by West Bengal police on charges of forwarding cartoons about Mamata Banerjee and Mukul Roy. It was alleged that the cartoon was defamatory. He was charged under Section 66A of the Information Technology Act by the state government and sections of the Indian Penal Code.

An FIR was filed against him on April 12, 2012, at East Jadavpur police station, which led to his arrest. It is alleged that since then he had suffered atrocities of TMC members and supporters.

The Alipore District Court has ordered the lower court to discharge the professor from the criminal case lodged against him for sharing the cartoon of TMC leaders.

Prof. Mahapatra always alleged that he had been the prey of conspiracy by the Bengal government, the police administration, and the ruling party goons, who tried to throttle any kind of voice against the government.