Police to submit report on M.F. Hussain’s paintings by Jan 10

New Delhi: A court here has asked Delhi Police, probing a criminal case against noted painter M.F. Hussain for allegedly painting Hindu Gods and Goddesses in an obscene manner hurting religious sentiments, to file status report by January ten on authenticity of the pictures of his art work. It was after a direction of the Supreme Court that the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Kamini Lau was asked to conduct trial of all the five cases against Hussain pertaining to publication of "obscene paintings with suggestive captions" which allegedly not only hurt religious sentiments of a group but also created enmity between different communal clans.

Apart from a complaint against him here, cases of the alleged malicious publication of the paintings were also pending in courts at Rajkot, Indore, Bhopal and Pandharpur. The apex court, accepting Hussain’s contention in a petition, had in its order of December four last year said "it is just and proper that all the cases be transferred and tried by a single court for convenience of the parties". However, the Supreme Court directed Hussain to bear all the expenses incurred in summoning and calling witnesses to the district court at Delhi. The ACMM directed the Investigating Officer of the case here to submit the status report including the opinion on the authenticity and verification of the eight pictures seized by the police.

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