Delhi court reserves order on FIR against gallery in MF Hussain paintings case

A Delhi court on Wednesday reserved its decision on whether to register an FIR against the owners of the Delhi Art Gallery (DAG) over allegations of displaying “offensive” paintings made by artist M F Husain.

Judicial Magistrate (Class-I) Sahil Monga of Patiala House Court reserved the order on a petition filed by advocate Amita Sachdeva, who alleged that the paintings depicted Hindu deities in nude forms, causing outrage to religious sentiments.

The complainant stated that she photographed the contentious artworks during a visit to the gallery in December and lodged a complaint with the police. However, no FIR was registered, and the paintings were reportedly removed on her subsequent visit. The gallery officials, meanwhile, denied displaying the alleged artworks.

Sachdeva argued that despite Hussain’s stature as a globally acclaimed artist, his work cannot justify insulting religious beliefs. The plea sought the registration of an FIR under Section 299 of the BNS (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings).

Earlier this week, the court had directed the Delhi Police to seize photographs of the artworks in question.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police in its Action Taken Report (ATR) informed the court that both the paintings had been seized and are currently in police malkhana.