A court in India’s capital Delhi has ordered the seizure of two “offensive” paintings by one of India’s most famous artists, MF Husain.

A court on Monday allowed police to seize the artworks after a complaint saying the paintings, which were on display at an art gallery and depicted two Hindu gods, “hurt religious sentiments”.

Hussain, who died in 2011 at the age of 95, often faced backlash for his paintings of nude Hindu deities.

The Delhi Art Gallery (DAG), which is organizing the exhibition, said in a statement that it was “not a party to the legal proceedings and is seeking legal advice”.

The paintings are part of an exhibition called “Hussein: Eternal Modernist”, which features more than 100 works at the DAG from October 26 to December 14.

The complainant, Amita Sachdeva, a lawyer, stated on The complaint against the late artist was followed five days later by a police complaint.

On December 10, Ms. Sachdeva reported that she visited the gallery with investigators, only to discover that the paintings had been removed. She claims gallery officials claimed they never exhibited the paintings.

The BBC has contacted the DAG for comment.

The painting shared online by Ms Sachdeva depicts the Hindu gods Ganesha and Hanuman as well as nude female figures. She also alleged that Delhi Police failed to file a report.

She later asked the court to preserve the gallery’s CCTV footage from when the painting was reportedly on display, according to media reports.

A bench of Delhi’s Patiala High Court on Monday said the police had retrieved the video and submitted a report. The judge added that according to the investigation, the exhibition was held in a private space and was intended only to showcase the artist’s original works.

The gallery said in a statement that it was “reviewing the situation” and “attempting to track developments.”

Maqbool Fida Hussain is one of India’s greatest painters and has been called the “Picasso of India”, but his art has often caused controversy in the country. His works have sold for millions of dollars.

His career was marked by controversy when he was accused of obscenity and condemned by hardline Hindus for a painting of a nude goddess.

In 2006, Hussain publicly apologized for his painting “Mother India”. It shows a naked woman kneeling on the ground, creating the shape of a map of India. That same year he left the country and lived in self-imposed exile in London until his death.

In 2008, the Supreme Court of India Rejection of criminal charges against Husseinsaid his paintings are not obscene and that nudity is common in Indian iconography and history.

The court subsequently dismissed an appeal against a high court ruling that quashed criminal proceedings against Hussain in the cities of Bhopal, Indore and Rajkot, denouncing the rise of “new puritanism” in India.

The court also rejected a request to summon Hussein, then in exile, and ask him to explain his paintings, which were accused of offending religious sentiments and disturbing the integrity of the state.

“There are so many such subjects, photos and publications. Would you sue all of them? What about temple architecture? Hussein’s work is art. If you don’t want to look at it, don’t look at it. There is so much temple architecture There are many such art forms in ,” the Supreme Court said.

Many believe that an illiberal wave against artistic expression is rising in India.

Bombay High Court, Oct. Blame the customs department Seizure of artworks by renowned artists FN Souza and Akbar Padamsee on the grounds that they are “obscene material”.

The court ruled that not all nude or sexually explicit paintings were obscene and ordered the release of seven seized artworks.

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