The Hyderabad Police, on 16 April, filed a case against Swathi Vadlamudi for allegedly hurting the sentiments of Hindu devotees of Lord Rama and insulting Hindu culture. Swathi had expressed her outrage over the Kathua and Unnao rapes by posting a cartoon on her Facebook page that some considered inflammatory.
The complaint was by lodged by the president of the Hindu Sanghatan, Kashimshetty Karuna Sagar. The police is yet to send a legal notice to Vadlamudi.
Predictably, there was a flurry of disagreement online, and the issue blew up on Reddit. Some Reddit users were outraged by the ‘frivolous’ lawsuit:
But there were also others who seemed to believe the right to take offence trumps freedom of speech in matters of religion:
So, which side of this do you come out on? Do you believe it’s right to be imprisoned for insulting the followers of a religion?
The Quint is now on WhatsApp. To receive handpicked stories on topics you care about, subscribe to our WhatsApp services. Just go to TheQuint.com/WhatsApp and hit Send.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)