The Satanic Verses was never banned in India - Delhi High Court 05112024 hj72hrt298sh5j23

New Delhi : 06:12 IST, 6 November 2024, Dr. Sarbajit Roy

"The Satanic Verses", a controversial book by Salman Rushdie was never banned in India, according to the finding Division bench of the Delhi High Court, on 5 November 2024 while disposing of Writ Petition no. W.P.(C) 4676/2019 - "SANDIPAN KHAN versus THE CHAIRMAN, CENTRAL BOARD OF INDIRECT TAXES AND CUSTOMS AND OR."

Your reporter was present in court, however the judgment copy is awaited.

The Division Bench of HMJ J.Rekha Palli and J. Saurabh Banerjee arrived at this finding after the Central Govt's Wings - CBDT, FinMin and MHA failed to produce the purported Gazette Notification No. 405/12/88-CUS-III dated 5-10-1988 banning the import of the book titled "Satanic Verses" under the Customs Act, 1962. Act, despite being given repeated opportunities and adequate time to do so since 2020.

With the Govt. strangely unable to produce its own Gazette notification the Hon'ble Court was left with no alternative but to take judicial presumption that no such notification ever existed.

Previously, the Congress Party's Minister had given a misleading reply in Parliament in UNSTARRED QUESTION NO:856, ANSWERED ON:27.11.2012, BANNED BOOK, Viswanathan Shri P.., citing this alleged notification.

Dr. Sarbajit Roy, is Organiser of HINDU RAKSHA DAL, and also the Delhi State Coordinator of "Journalist and Media Association"