Indian Artist Acquited -- Court Condems the "New Puritanism"

Source: Hindustan Times

Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi, May 08, 2008

The art community of India had cause for celebration Thursday as the Indian High Court of Delhi ruled in favor of 93-year-old eminent painter MF Husain.

Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said the allegations against the artist are baseless.

"A painter has his own perspective of looking at things and it cannot be the basis of initiating criminal proceedings against him," Kaul said in his 74-page judgement.

"In India, new puritanism is being carried out in the name of cultural purity and a host of ignorant people are vandalizing art and pushing us towards a pre-renaissance era," he observed.

The court said the question of obscenity was nowhere to be seen in his paintings, as it was his perspective of looking at things and one should not challenge that.

The court ended the judgement on the note that, "A painter at 90 deserves to be sitting in his home and painting his canvas."

Complete Hindustani Times Story



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