Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi who was arrested on Saturday night on the charges of Sedition after his cartoons made a mockery of the Parliament and the National Emblem, was sent to Judicial custody by the court till Sep 24. Police had not sought his custody and Aseem has refused to seek bail on moral grounds until the charges of sedition were dropped. Mumbai's Bandra court decided to send him to judicial custody after he also refused to appoint a lawyer to plead his case.

He said that he was not against law and that he was proud of what he did. He referred to the battle as the second struggle for Independence in the nation comparing himself to Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation who sought a non-violent path to win Independence to the nation. Aseem contended that he was fighting for the independence of the nation from corruption following in the footsteps of the Mahatma.

He had made a statement in writing that he would stay back at the jail till the government removes the sedition law and further continue his Gandhian way of protest. Aseem also backed his actions saying that he had merely put to drawing what everyone is seeing on a daily basis. He refused to seek bail since he has 'not done anything wrong'.

Aseem Trivedi, the cartoonist, had been arrested on the Saturday night after he had surrendered himself for allegedly dishonoring the national emblem and other controversial cartoons on sensitive issues.

 Trivedi also refused to appoint a lawyer to plead his case. The latest development is that he had refused to seek bail unless the sedition charges against him were dropped.

His arrest had become a national outcry and the police were the target of criticism from all corners of the nation. He was initially sent to the custody of police for a week, until September 16.

Aseem Trivedi who originally hailed from Kanpur was arrested after he posted few harsh and critical cartoons, falsely categorized as sedition, was arrested after he surrendered on Saturday. He was remanded to the police custody by a holiday court in Bandra after a lawyer had filed the complaint last year when he had displayed the controversial cartoons supporting India Against Congress.

Outside the court, a rebellious Trivedi said, "If telling the truth makes me traitor then I am one. Even Mahatma Gandhi was called traitor and if I am booked under sedition for doing service to the nation then I will continue to do so."

Trivedi was due to fly to Syria on Wednesday to receive a cartooning award.

(AW- Anil)