The decision to bring the charges against cartoonist Aseem Trivendi was taken by the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) police, reports The Times of India newspaper. The BKC had asked for advice from assistant director and public prosecutor (ADPP) HB Jadhev regarding the charges.

Common practice

Police commissioner Satya Pal Singh said: ‘Though Mr Jadhav agreed with the decision of sedition charges being invoked against Mr Trivedi, in the last sentence of his note he said that his opinion should not be taken as the final decision.’
Sources suggest that it is common practice for the law officer to write such a note at the end of all his opinions.
After taking criticism for arresting Mr Trivendi, the Mumbai police administration transferred the investigation to a special investigation team. According to the report, the police have stated that the case was registered after the ‘proper application of mind and studying of documentary evidence’, but the reason for applying sedition charges still remains open to debate.
Mr Trivendi published a series of cartoons allegedly lampooning India’s national emblem.