Cartoonist in jail for making fun of parliament

An Indian court yesterday sent a cartoonist to jail to await trial on sedition charges over sketches that lampoon government corruption, triggering an outcry from freedom of expression campaigners.

The detention of Aseem Trivedi, a freelance artist whose cartoons include parliament depicted as a giant toilet bowl, has been cited as the latest example of growing intolerance of criticism from Indian authorities.

A local court in Mumbai ordered the cartoonist, who refused to apply for bail, to be held in custody until Sept 24, his lawyer Vijay Hiremath told AFP.