India’s Supreme Court has refused to launch criminal proceedings against one of the country’s best-known and most controversial artists.
MF Husain has been accused of obscenity in several cases filed against him in a number of Indian states.He is alleged to have offended Hindus with a painting in which he represented India as a nude goddess.
The court said Mr Husain’s paintings were not obscene and nudity was common in Indian iconography and history.
The Supreme Court also upheld a lower court ruling in May that dropped legal proceedings in three cases against the painter and cleared him of obscenity charges.
Under Indian laws, obscenity is a criminal offence.
In its ruling, the court said that the nudity portrayed by Mr Husain had a long history.
“There are many such pictures, paintings and sculptures and some of them are in temples also,” it said.
‘Victory’
Mr Husain has been living in the Middle East. He welcomed the court’s decision and said he was looking forward to returning home
“At last they have understood the dignity of Indian contemporary art,” he was quoted as saying by the Times of India newspaper.
“This is not a victory for me only, but one for the Indian contemporary art movement.”
Last year, art auction house Christie’s rejected demands by a group of expatriate Indians to withdraw the work of Mr Husain.
The group had threatened to hold demonstrations unless the auction was dropped.
In 2006, Mr Husain had publicly apologised for the painting representing India as a nude goddess.
He promised to withdraw it from a charity auction, after Hindu nationalist groups accused him of hurting their religious sentiments.
Mr Husain, 92, is one of India’s leading painters.
His paintings are much sought after and are auctioned for millions of dollars.
He has also made two Bollywood films, although both failed at the box office.
– BBC, Sept.9, 2008
