Court orders seizing of 2 MF Husain paintings

Judicial magistrate first class Sahil Monga of Patiala House court passed the order on Monday.

DAG, formerly known as Delhi Art Gallery — the art gallery that displayed the paintings — said in a statement that it is “reviewing the situation and seeking counsel”.

The complainant, Delhi high court advocate Amita Sachdeva, claimed that when she visited DAG on December 4, 2024 and attended a gallery exhibition titled Husain: The Timeless Modernist, she came across several paintings that depicted Hindu gods and goddesses “in an offensive manner”.

She claimed that such paintings outrage religious feelings and cause spiritual and emotional distress to devotees.

Sachdeva said on December 9, she filed a formal complaint about the paintings at the Parliament Street police station, and during the course of the probe, the complainant and Delhi Police officers went back to the art gallery, only to find the said paintings had been removed.

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She subsequently filed a complaint at Patiala House on December 12, seeking action against the gallery’s director, and the preservation of CCTV footage for the dates December 4, 6 and 10 — when the exhibition was held.

The court order read, “At this stage, the application U/s 94 BNSS (summons to produce document or other thing) has been moved by the complainant for direction to the IO (Investigating Officer) to seize the painting in question…the said application is allowed and the IO is directed to seize the said painting and file a report on January 22.”

The judge further said that according to the action taken report, the IO has already seized the CCTV footage of Delhi Art Gallery. In addition, the inquiry report stated that the exhibition was held in a “private space”, and the paintings in question were only to display the original work of artists.

Responding to the court’s decision, DAG in a statement said, “Pending an enquiry into a few select works of MF Husain at a recent exhibition, DAG is reviewing the situation and seeking counsel. We are not party to any court proceedings so far, and are trying to follow the developments. We will come back to you as soon as we have an update on the issues at hand.”

Husain was no stranger to controversy. His depictions of Hindu deities created decades ago, have repeatedly sparked outrage among conservative groups, leading to court cases, protests, and threats. The backlash escalated to the point that Husain chose self-imposed exile in 2016, choosing to live in Dubai and London until his death in 2011. Despite the controversies, Husain remains celebrated as one of India’s most significant modern artists.