The Bombay High Court today said it would order the release of cartoonist Aseem Trivedi on bail if the police fail to provide sufficient ground for his custody.

A division bench of chief justice Mohit Shah and justice Nitin Jamdar has, however, given an hour's time to the police to seek instructions from higher authorities on whether his custody is required.

The bench was hearing a PIL filed by advocate Sanskar Marathe claiming that Trivedi's arrest and slapping of sedition charges against him was illegal and unjustified.

The petitioner has sought Trivedi's release from jail.

Trivedi was arrested on Saturday for his cartoons which allegedly depicted the national emblem and parliament in a bad light. Trivedi is now in judicial custody after the police yesterday surrendered their custody of the cartoonist.