The blocking of Tamil website ‘Vikatan’ for displaying Prime Minister Modi’s cartoon affronts critical journalism
Earlier this month, the 125 year old website published a cartoon of Prime Minister Modi shackled, with U.S. President Donald Trump ridiculing him, as a satirical commentary on the Indian government’s silence over undignified deportation of various Indians from the U.S. Days later, the website went invisible. The government’s blocking of the website without supplying any reasoning is another blow to press freedom in the country.
S.N. Sahu
19 February 2025
ON February 10, 2025, the 125 year old Tamil Nadu based magazine Vikatan published a cartoon of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a chair with his hands and legs shackled. Beside him sat the United States President Donald Trump, his fingers pointing at the shackles, and a derisive smile donning his face. Very inexplicably, the access to that cartoon as also the Vikatan website was blocked allegedly by the Union government without citing any reason. Several political parties, including the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the ruling party of Tamil Nadu, condemned the alleged blocking of the website and the cartoon, as constituting a violation of the freedom of press which flows from the constitutionally guaranteed fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression.
Vikatan’s blocking contradicts natural justice principles, violates the law
The Union’s decision to render the website inaccessible without detailing any reasons goes against the very founding principles of natural justice. Its coercive action tramples not only the freedom of expression but also the citizen’s right to be informed of the content, and underlying message of the cartoon. This indicates the government has presumed Vikatan’s guilt, even before any adjudication by a court of law could be undertaken.
The government has presumed Vikatan’s guilt, even before any adjudication by a court of law could be undertaken.
Recently, preceding the presentation of the Union Budget in the Parliament, the government published the Economic Survey 2024-2025 report. The report noted that in order to foster trust between the government and entrepreneurs, and enable economic growth and progress, the operating principle of regulations needed to shift from a ‘guilty until proven innocent’ norm, to an ‘innocent until proven guilty’ standing.
Unfortunately in Vikatan’s case, the Union government has taken a contradictory stance, and ignored the liberal principle of criminal justice, and law broadly, that guilt cannot be presumed. That is the only potential explanation of the Union’s blocking of the website without any prior notice or official explanation.
On February 13, 2025, while deflecting a question posed by an American reporter at the White House, on billionaire Gautam Adani’s U.S. indictment, Prime Minister Modi eloquently spoke of India’s rich democratic status. The blocking of Vikatan’s access in the same time period shows that the Prime Minister’s response was merely rhetorical. It is nothing short of a targeted attack on critical journalism.