The cartoonist Aseem Trivedi was released from jail Wednesday, following the Mumbai High Court's orders.
The Maharashtra government, which charged the cartoonist with sedition, disrespect of a national emblem and violation of India's information technology act, is considering dropping the sedition charge, officials said Wednesday.
Mr. Trivedi, who has long black hair, a beard and thick glasses, was received by jubilant supporters at the gate of Arthur Road prison, where he was held.
He said he plans to demand the repeal of the sedition provision from the law.
Last year, Mr. Trivedi made cartoons replacing the three lions in India's national symbol with wolves and posted them on his own Web site. Protesters carried those cartoons on placards during a hunger fast by the anticorruption crusader Anna Hazare last year in Mumbai.
A local lawyer filed a police complaint against Mr. Trivedi after the march, but Mr. Trivedi remained at large until last week, when he surrendered to Mumbai police. When presented to the court, he refused to put up bail and was sent to judicial custody. His arrest has drawn widespread criticism of the government from in and outside the country.
Reporters Without Borders, an international advocacy group for freedom of information, said in a statement Tuesday that the group “strongly deplores†his arrest. “The prosecution and detention of the cartoonist are a gross violation of freedom of expression and information by the Indian authorities,†the group said.
Mr. Trivedi told journalists after his release: “It was not my individual fight. It was the fight of every Indian.†The law barring sedition, section 124(a) of India's Penal Code, should be removed, he said. “Our fight will continue till then.â€
Mr. Trivedi said that this law was used against people like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Bal Gangadhar Tilak. “Were they all traitors?†he asked. “No, they all were freedom fighters.â€
His case will be heard in the Mumbai High Court later this month.
