# Indian Cartoonists Face Instagram Restrictions Over Political Satire

> Indian political cartoonists Manjul and Satish Acharya had their Instagram accounts restricted or blocked in India in late September 2026, following government directives under the Information Technology Rules, 2021.

By PrimaryBrief newsroom · Published 2026-10-26T05:44:12.184024Z
Canonical: https://primarybrief.com/article/indian-cartoonists-face-instagram-restrictions-over-political-satire-dc35a6f6

Indian political cartoonists Manjul and Satish Acharya faced restrictions on their Instagram accounts in late September 2026, with Manjul's specific cartoon about the Election Commission and Acharya's entire account blocked in India following government directives [1][3][6][9]. These actions stem from India's Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which grant authorities power to order content blocking [3][9].

These restrictions indicate an escalating pattern of online speech suppression targeting satirists in India [1][5][7]. Critics argue the government uses these rules, which it states are intended to combat harmful content, to stifle political criticism and dissent, leading to concerns about the future of free expression and the democratic space in the country [3][4][10][11].

## What the records show
Manjul received an email from X (formerly Twitter) on June 4, 2026, indicating Indian authorities considered content on his @MANJULtoons account to "violate Indian law(s)" [1]. On September 26, 2026, Manjul received a notification from Meta, Instagram's parent company, stating his cartoon about the Indian Election Commission was blocked [9]. Instagram restricted Manjul's work "pursuant to a notice from the Government of India/Law Enforcement" [3].

Satish Acharya's Instagram account was restricted in India after Meta received a legal request from the government [3]. His account was blocked from September 28 until late on October 5, 2026 [6][8]. A message displayed to users trying to access his account stated, "We restricted this post in India at the request of the government" [3]. These restrictions were made under the 2021 Information Technology Rules, which mandate social media platforms to remove "unlawful content" within three hours of government or court directives [3][6]. The Indian government states these rules aim to address "fake, false, misleading information and AI-generated deep fakes" to protect democratic processes and public order [10][11]. However, amendments to these rules "contain no explicit exceptions for satire, news reporting, academic research, or artistic expression" [11].

## Timeline
On November 29, 2024, Satish Acharya received emails from X about Mumbai police requests to remove two of his cartoons [9]. Manjul received a similar notice from X on January 3, 2025, regarding Mumbai police objections to his cartoons [5][9]. By June 4, 2026, Manjul shared an email from X noting Indian authorities considered content on his @MANJULtoons account violated Indian laws [1]. On September 26, 2026, Manjul received a notification from Meta that his cartoon about the Election Commission had been blocked in India [9]. Two days later, on September 28, 2026, Satish Acharya's Instagram account was blocked in India [6][8]. Access to Satish Acharya's Instagram account was restored on October 5, 2026 [6][9]. However, on October 26, 2026, Acharya found his account was briefly blocked in India for the second time in three weeks [8].

## What changed and for whom
For Manjul, a specific cartoon critical of the Election Commission became inaccessible to users in India [1][3][4][9]. For Satish Acharya, his entire Instagram account was blocked in India for over a week, effectively making him "invisible" to his domestic audience [3][6][8]. This has led to an "increasing trend of censorship" and a "shrinking space for dissent in India" for cartoonists and political satirists [4][7][9]. The measures indicate a direct application of the IT Rules, 2021, and Section 69A of the IT Act, which require platforms to remove "unlawful content" within hours of government orders [3][6][7].

## What the subject has said publicly
Satish Acharya stated that the government, which "boasts about being the most powerful and fearless," is scared by "every bit of criticism," forcing it to resort to "cowardice measures" [3]. Acharya also posted a new cartoon on X making fun of the block [4]. The Kerala Cartoon Academy condemned the ban on Manjul and Satish Acharya's cartoons, calling cartooning "an art of criticism" and expressing concern about the growing trend of "gagging criticism" [1]. Cartooning for Peace condemned the Indian government's "misuse of information technology regulations" to censor cartoonists [9].

## What we could not confirm
We could not confirm the specific content or nature of the "unlawful content" that led to the blocking of Manjul's cartoons, beyond its criticism of the Election Commission [1][3][4][9]. We also could not confirm the exact number or specific content of Satish Acharya's cartoons that led to the blocking of his entire Instagram account [3][6][8], nor the full details of the "legal request from the government" that Meta received for Acharya's account [3].

## Evidence cited
1. (October 02 2026) The ban imposed on the cartoons of prominent cartoonists Manjul and Satish Acharya on social media in India is condemnable. Several other cartoonists have faced similar bans, and the fact that they have not come forward with public protests is also a matter of concern. Cartooning is an art of criticism. The Kerala Cartoon Academy expresses concern over the growing trend of gagging criticism in contemporary times. All this is happening in a country where Indian Prime Minister Ja (jrmora.com) — https://jrmora.com/
2. reddit.com — https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQG-ERfQx8RPMCCMm_-xYkJjooTOzYFDriBxG1-q4p8ZCXpDvmlQOOTuUoi_c2EPSG4vnfVV8xfiD8XslWidUmmTwkhQ1h8ba069c7OV2JP7nvvEuFARbBaaAE4DYidm0EEMq4HVJW-QT6FZXt5flQzXf64h7mpFtHG_P5pFWjYy7a8y7DoBxnIgWGLqfEzVmHI0lduQKdtTaf1QZg==
3. (September 29 2026) Cartoonist Satish Acharya's Instagram account blocked in India Political cartoonist Satish Acharya and a cartoon drawn by him. | Navin Shetty Brahmavar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, and Satish Acharya, @satishacharya/X. The Instagram account of political cartoonist Satish Acharya has been restricted in India after the Meta-owned platform received a legal request from the government. A message displayed by the platform when users try to access the account says: “We rev (scroll.in) — https://scroll.in/
4. (October 04 2026) Nothing, except that they poke fun at the Election Commission of India (ECI) and call out the mess created by the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Cartoons by Manjul were restricted by Instagram in India. Manjul posted the notice on his 'X' account: Cartoonish Satish Acharya found that his entire account was restricted in India, without any notice or any redressal mechanism: Acharya hit back with another cartoon, poking fun at the block, posted on 'X': Manjul took a s (freespeechcollective.in) — https://freespeechcollective.in/
5. (February 19 2025) The suspension of Vikatan.com and the targeting of cartoonists Manjul and Satish Acharya reveal a growing crackdown on political dissent. As Section 69A of the IT Act is used to suppress critical voices, what does this mean for free expression in India ... cartoonists and government censorship. Photo: Manjul. The suspension of the Tamil news website Vikatan.com on February 15 over a political cartoon depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump has re-i (outlookindia.com) — https://outlookindia.com/
6. (October 09 2026) Among those whose works were taken down was political cartoonist Satish Acharya. One of Satish Acharya's cartoons taken down by the social media companies [File: Al Jazeera]. Several of Acharya's cartoons, some up to three years old, were removed and his Instagram account was blocked in India from September 28 until late on October 5, he told Al Jazeera. “At different phases of history, people used cartoons as a tool ... However, he had a satirical message for Modi as he urged  (stluciachronicle.com) — https://stluciachronicle.com/
7. (March 26 2026) Eng | हिंदी · Alt News. Menu. Dark Mode. Eng | हिंदी · Home›; Report›; Cartoons, criticism and crackdowns: How Section 69A is being used to silence dissent. Cartoons, criticism and crackdowns: How Section 69A is being used to silence dissent. Abhishek Kumar 26th March 2026. Cartoons, criticism and crackdowns: How Section 69A is being used to silence dissent. Share on Facebook · Share on X · Share on WhatsApp; Copy link. Share on Facebook · Share on X · Share on WhatsApp; Copy lin (altnews.in) — https://altnews.in/
8. (October 26 2026) India's cartoonists find their posts are being restricted. Share. Mon, 26 October 2026. 09:46. A cartoon by Satish Acharya. For the second time in three weeks, Indian cartoonist Satish Acharya found himself effectively invisible on Instagram in his own country. The 55-year-old discovered on Tuesday that his account had once again been briefly blocked in India, allegedly with no explanation from the platform. Just a few weeks ago, another cartoonist, Manjul, had found that Insta (rediff.com) — https://www.rediff.com/news/report/india-s-cartoonists-find-their-posts-are-being-restricted/20261026.htm
9. (January 20 2025) Last update to the alert: 5 October 2026. Access to cartoonist Satish's Instagram account was restored on 5 October 2026. 1 October 2026. Indian political cartoonists Manjul and Satish Acharya have had their content blocked on Instagram. On 26 September 2026, Manjul received a notification from META informing him that his cartoon about the Indian Election Commission – which is currently at the centre of a growing scandal – had been blocked. Meta's notification states that acces (cartooningforpeace.org) — https://cartooningforpeace.org/en/actualites/alert-india-satisch-acharya-and-manjul-2/
10. (December 12 2025) Code of Ethics has been framed under IT Rules 2021 for publishers of news and current affairs on digital media: (pib.gov.in) — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1883196
11. (November 07 2025) The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) proposed amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Act Amendments) in late October, seeking to address the growing phenomenon of “synthetically generated information.” The stated objective of the Impugned Amendments is to mitigate the spread of digitally manipulated or AI-generated content, commonly known as deepfakes, that may distort re (techpolicy.press) — https://techpolicy.press/india-proposes-new-it-rules-to-combat-deepfakes/