AIM calls out MeitY for allegedly muzzling Tamil-based Vikatan website

New Delhi: The Association of India Magazines (AIM), on Tuesday, issued a statement calling out the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for allegedly blocking vikatan.com, a website run by Tamil-based magazine publisher Ananda Vikatan. 

The alleged shunning of the website was done on the pretext of a controversial political cartoon published by the website showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi in chains.

Issuing the statement, the industry body wrote, “The immediate and swift action by MeitY on the same day is deeply disturbing. What is further shocking is that there was no notice issued to the publisher, no opportunity to be heard, and not even a formal order shared by MeitY before the entire website was blocked, purportedly in response to a mere complaint by the state head of the ruling party.” 

As per the publisher of the controversial cartoon, a complaint was filed by Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) and the Press Council of India, claiming that the cartoon was objectionable. AIM called the complaint against the journalistic expression, an integral part of which has been publishing political satires through cartoons. 

Upon examining the situation with a keen eye, BestMediaInfo.com found that the website was, in fact, functional. The publisher, after the alleged blocking on February 15, 2025, added an FAQ about the entire incident involving the cartoon featuring PM Modi and US President Donald Trump. 

In the FAQ section, Vikaktan claimed noticing a “sudden drop” in the website traffic and the website becoming "inaccessible to many users.”

AIM, in its statement, called it a “blatant and draconian attack on press freedom.” The industry body highlighted how the IT Rules 2021 are yet under examination and have been stayed following numerous cases in multiple high courts, as well as the Supreme Court. 

“The IT Rules 2021have been challenged in numerous cases before multiple High Courts, as well as the Hon’ble Supreme Court, and there is a stay on Rule 9(1) and (3) of the IT Rules, which pertains to the Code of Ethics, and therefore powers of the Inter-Departmental Committee to examine complaints against publishers on these grounds. 

Therefore it is quite shocking that while the rules are under challenge and have been stayed, such an inquiry has been initiated, not to mention, the order passed even before the due process,” stated AIM. 

What was the cartoon?

The epicentre of this ballyhoo is a cartoon that showcases PM Modi tied in chains with a look of disappointment on his face. By his side sits Trump chuckling. 

According to Vikatan, the cartoon envisaged showcasing Modi in “chained silence, representative of India's continued silence to the inhumane treatment meted out to its citizens, in the backdrop of the falling value of the Indian rupee and the obvious economic backlash anticipated in the event such treatment was objected to, by India.”