Indian law, at its 'tragic realism' best, made the import of Salman Rushdie's novel, The Satanic Verses, illegal in 1988. This was when the government of the day, in its finite wisdom, had succumbed to a section that cited concerns about the book sparking communal tensions.
Ironically, it was only after this move by GoI that countries like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia banned Rushdie's book. By February 1989, Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie's death.
As recently as August 2022, Rushdie grievously suffered an assassination attempt in the US because of the festering fatwa. It was India, though, that had set the ball rolling against the Mumbai-born writer.
That the restriction - technically not a 'ban', since the novel is readily available on e-platforms like Kindle - has been lifted is a blunder corrected. But, more importantly, it shows how ad hoc 'secular fatwas' like this one issued by custom officials on GoI instruction, damage India's liberal credentials.
Even lifting of the restriction is doused in magic realism - officials were unable to find the original notification, after petitioner Sandipan Khan contested its validity in 2019.
As a result, this week, the Delhi High Court noted that since no notification was available for the court to examine, it had to presume that it doesn't exist.
Thus, it would treat the writ petition as 'infructuous' - that is, pointless. So, 36 years after its publication and restriction in India, The Satanic Verses can be legally procured in physical book format.
Not all books or movies banned or restricted can, however, have such a bizarre, happy twist. So, as not just an aspiring viksit country but also as an aspiring viksit society, India must impose a ban on such 'bans' for good.
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As recently as August 2022, Rushdie grievously suffered an assassination attempt in the US because of the festering fatwa. It was India, though, that had set the ball rolling against the Mumbai-born writer.
That the restriction - technically not a 'ban', since the novel is readily available on e-platforms like Kindle - has been lifted is a blunder corrected. But, more importantly, it shows how ad hoc 'secular fatwas' like this one issued by custom officials on GoI instruction, damage India's liberal credentials.
Even lifting of the restriction is doused in magic realism - officials were unable to find the original notification, after petitioner Sandipan Khan contested its validity in 2019.
As a result, this week, the Delhi High Court noted that since no notification was available for the court to examine, it had to presume that it doesn't exist.
Thus, it would treat the writ petition as 'infructuous' - that is, pointless. So, 36 years after its publication and restriction in India, The Satanic Verses can be legally procured in physical book format.
Not all books or movies banned or restricted can, however, have such a bizarre, happy twist. So, as not just an aspiring viksit country but also as an aspiring viksit society, India must impose a ban on such 'bans' for good.
