The Delhi court has ordered the seizure of two MF Hussain paintings displayed at the Delhi Art Gallery (DAG) after a complaint was filed by an advocate who called the artwork ‘offensive’.
Judicial magistrate First Class, Sahil Monga, seated at Patiala House court, said in his order on Monday that, “At this stage, an application….. has been moved by the complainant for directions to the investigating officer. I owe to seize the painting in question in light of the facts and circumstances mentioned in the said application, and the IO is directed to seize the said painting and file a report on 22.01.2025.”
Paintings Offensive: Advocate Sachdeva
Advocate Amita Sachdeva, who filed the complaint, practises at Delhi High Court. “On 4 December 2024, I clicked photos of an offensive painting displayed at DAG World at 22A, Windsor Place, Connaught Place, New Delhi, and filed a complaint on 9th of December at Parliament Street police station, after researching past FIRs against MF Hussain. However, during a visit with the IO on 10th December, the paintings were removed and falsely claimed they were never displayed,” said Sachdeva.
The enquiry states that the exhibition was held in a private space, and the said paintings were only to display the original work of the author and artists. However, the investigating officer in the matter has already seized CCTV footage and the Network Video Recorder (NBR) of the Delhi Art Gallery, clarifying that the painting was on display.
“Pending an enquiry into a few select works of MF Hussain at a recent exhibition, DAG is reviewing the situation and seeking counsel. We are not party to any court proceeding so far and are trying to follow the development. We will come back to you as soon as we have an update on the issue at the end.”, says the official statement by DAG.
Delhi Art Gallery was established in 1993 and is home to the largest collection of pre-modern and modern Indian artwork spanning between the 18th to 20th centuries.
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