New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear on April 10 a petition filed by eminent painter M.F. Husain seeking transfer to Delhi of the criminal complaints filed in the Indore and Rajkot courts protesting against his recent depiction of `Bharat Mata' in the nude.

Senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi on Friday mentioned the petition before a Bench consisting of Justices Ruma Pal and Dalveer Bhandari and sought an urgent transfer of the cases as Mr. Husain was summoned by one of the courts to appear on April 13. It was sought in view of the hostile environment in Indore and Rajkot.

Allegations

The complainants accused Mr. Husain of outraging religious sentiments, promoting enmity among religious groups, selling obscene material and disturbing national integrity, thereby committing offences punishable under sections of the Indian Penal Code. He was also accused of committing offences, punishable under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, with his paintings of Hindu deities and mythological characters made in the 1970s and 1980s.

Mr. Husain said his painting of `Bharat Mata' led to protests in various parts, orchestrated by the Hindu Jan Jagruti Samiti, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Bajrang Dal.

The petitioner said that despite his tendering an apology, the Hindu Personal Law Board announced a Rs. 51-crore reward for beheading him and Rs. 11 lakh for chopping off his hands. A local leader in Gujarat promised one kg of gold to anyone who gouged out his eyes.

Mr. Husain said that in July 2000, the apex court ordered transfer of similar cases filed against him in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar to the court of an additional chief metropolitan magistrate in New Delhi. The Delhi High Court subsequently quashed the cases.

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